A bathroom break helped propel Iga Swiatek to a comeback win against No. 6 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second semifinal at the US Open on Thursday night.
In her post-match interview, the No. 1-ranked player, who used the restroom after the first set, said she felt much “lighter” when she returned to the court. It was a TMI detail Swiatek quickly regretted saying.
“It’s more what I did (in the bathroom),” Swiatek, 21, said about her strong performance after the break between sets. “I kind of needed to go. For sure I felt lighter. Sorry, that’s disgusting.”
The Polish pro indeed looked like a different player after the first set. She defeated Sabalenka 6-1 in the second set and then came back from down 4-2 in the final set to win the match (3-6, 6-1, 6-4).
“I tried to use that time to really try to think about what to change and do it in a good way,” Swiatek said. “I remember earlier when I was younger, all I did in the bathroom between sets when I lost was cry. This time I can actually think about what to change and actually problem solve. I’m pretty glad I did that, because I got a new idea for the second set.”
Swiatek’s win over Sabalenka was a milestone 50th win of her career at a Grand Slam. She is now 50-12 overall at the majors.
Swiatek, a two-time French Open champ, will face No. 5 Ounce Jabeur of Tunisia in the women’s final on Saturday in Flushing Meadows.
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