"The biggest goal is not to get double-bageled” - Daria Saville jokes about playing Iga Swiatek in US Open 2R

Daria Saville set up a second-round meeting with World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the 2023 US Open, ousting junior Wimbledon champion Clervie Ngounoue in her opening match.

The Australian, who was sidelined for much of the year owing to injury, knows that she will have very little time to bask in the glory of her winning return to Flushing Meadows as she stares down at the challenge of playing the Pole.

Speaking about the same during an interview with Tennis.com, Saville joked that her first goal was not get double-bagled (lose 6-0, 6-0) when facing Iga Swiatek. It is worth noting that the World No. 1 dropped just one game en-route to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Rebecca Peterson in her opener in New York.

"The biggest goal is not to get double-bageled!” Daria Saville said. “When I was coming back from injuries, the goal was to get to play on all the bigger courts at every Slam. Hopefully that will be ticked off and I can still make her life very uncomfortable. I will play free and see what happens."

“I think we can definitely get in her head,” she continued. “She’s still a human.

Saville went on to add that she was looking to focus on her own game heading into the encounter and not get carried away with the idea of playing the defending champion too much.

“I need to play with myself. Playing against anyone ranked that high, the tendency for most players is to try and play their best tennis," Daria Saville said. "Sometimes that creates extra pressure and you miss more. I’ll try to enjoy the atmosphere, but I might not enjoy if I’m losing!”

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Daria Saville praises opponent after setting up Iga Swiatek showdown at US Open

Both Daria Saville and Iga Swiatek logged dominant wins at the US Open.

Daria Saville's own 6-0, 6-2 win over Clervie Ngounoue was not too far from Iga Swiatek's dominant showing in her first-round match at the US Open.

The Australian praised her opponent post-win, saying she was a solid player despite being so young. She also expressed hope of seeing the American improve further as she gets more matches on the senior level under her belt.

“We a few years ago at Mouratoglou when she was only 14,” Daria Saville said. “She’s still a little bit raw and doesn’t have enough experience, even just practicing with Grand Slam, Top 100 players."

"I think it will take her a couple of months of being on tour before she can break through or be more consistent and put together a few wins,” she added.

Saville will now have 24 hours to rest before she takes the court against Iga Swiatek for their second-round US Open encounter, scheduled to be played on Wednesday.