World No.1 Iga Swiatek’s well-earned reputation for being an impenetrable wall at the back of the court got a boost at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where her court coverage and quick-thinking earned May’s Shot of the Month honors.
Facing big-hitting Madison Keys for the second consecutive tournament, Swiatek put on a masterclass of turning defense into offense. Serving for a 5-2 lead in the second set, Swiatek was put to work right away by a barrage of deep groundstrokes from Keys. The World No.1’s quick reflexes and timing were pushed to the limit by a powerful forehand drive from Keys, which Swiatek somehow deflected with a short ball that drew the 18th seed into the net.
Keys thought she had done enough with her feathered reply, but Swiatek raced forward, and then, with Keys covering nearly every option on the pass, Swiatek feathered a perfectly lofted winner to seal the game.
Swiatek closed out the 6-1, 6-3 victory two games later and went on to win her third Rome title and become the first player since Serena Williams to sweep the WTA 1000s in Madrid and Rome.
Source: https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4032744/shot-of-the-month-swiatek-s-unreal-defense-in-rome
