Djokovic, Swiatek assert world no 1 dominance, win Italian Open 2022

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek won the Italian Open men’s and women’s singles titles on Sunday. The two, world no 1 man and woman, defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Ons Jabeur respectively in Rome. 

Djokovic’s journey to coming back into form is on the right track. The 34-year-old’s sixth Italian Open win is his first title this year and comes about a week before the prestigious French Open starts. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 (5). 

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Coming into the finals after winning his 1,000th career match over Casper Ruud in the semis, Djokovic didn’t drop a set against Tsitsipas. He nailed the first set in 30 minutes. After falling behind early in the second set, the Serb stepped up his game when Tsitsipas served for the set at 5-3.

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Djokovic produced 24 winners to Tsitsipas’ eight and had only 14 unforced errors to Tsitsipas’ 20.

“This year it was a particular situation. With everything that happened in Australia, it took some time. I found my best shape here. I’m going to Paris with a lot of confidence,” said Djokovic, who was deported from Australia due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. 

“This court has always been very, very special. It’s given me joy when I really needed positive sensations. Whenever my form was a bit down I’ve found energy in this city,” the 2021 French Open winner added. 

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In the women’s singles final, Iga Swiatek defended her title by beating Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 to extend her winning streak to 28 matches. 

“I already know that I did some great stuff this season, so I feel like I can just play freely. For sure the expectations around are higher, but I never had a problem to cut it off and not to think about it. Also I’m gaining experience at that,” the Polish player said.