Iga Swiatek coasts into US Open quarter-finals - and heads straight for the practice court

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Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open on Monday. Swiatek joked on Louis Armstrong Stadium afterwards that she was heading to the practice court. After claiming a straight-sets victory in just over an hour, she can look forward to another major quarter-final as she looks to pick up a seventh Grand Slam title.

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Iga Swiatek took to the practice court after cruising through to the quarter-finals of the US Open on Monday.

The Wimbledon champion had a comfortable day at the office in New York as she saw off Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-1 at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

"I asked [my coach] to book 10 minutes of practice court, if it's possible," Swiatek said during her on-court interview while laughing.

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"At the beginning, I felt like she was playing really fast. I wanted to find my rhythm, but later on I really felt like I was in my bubble and in my zone."

Swiatek has enjoyed a stellar year already, and it would truly be crowned in style if she claimed her second US Open title at Flushing Meadows this weekend.

The Polish superstar joined Aryna Sabalenka in reaching at least the quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.

It is the first year that multiple women have done so since Lindsey Davenport and Maria Sharapova in 2005, per ESPN.

The crowd certainly did not get to see a very competitive match as the final week of action at the famous tournament got underway in New York.

Swiatek only needed 64 minutes to get the job done, as she booked her place in the last eight.

She broke serve in the very first game, and though No. 13 seed Alexandrova struck straight back, Swiatek soon notched successive breaks to claim the opening set.

It was even easier for Swiatek after that, with two more breaks in the second set setting her up to seal the most routine of victories.

It was a contrast to a couple of the matches she faced in the first week of the tournament.

In the second round, she was stretched to three sets by Suzan Lamens from the Netherlands.

And in round three, she was 5-1 down in the first set to Russian Anna Kalinskaya. But she battled back for a hard-fought victory.

Swiatek, the No. 2 seed, has long been seen as a clay-court specialist, with four of her six Grand Slam successes coming at the French Open in Paris.

But she insists that she enjoys all the different surfaces on tour throughout the year.

"Now I like all of them," she said. "The clay season has always been my favourite but people make it pretty hard for me with the pressure around.

"Sometimes it's just easier to enjoy the surfaces where it's harder to play but you have more freedom to make mistakes and accept them.

"Every month is different. I can play on every surface if I feel good in my game and in my head. I feel confident. I'll try to play good throughout the whole year."

Swiatek will face the winner of the meeting between Amanda Anisimova and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

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