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Usually Iga Swiatek is the one dishing out the bagels.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the five-time major champion has become known for the ruthless manner of her victories, subjecting many opponents to the ultimate embarrassment of losing a set without winning a game.<\/p>\n
Now 23-year-old Swiatek finds herself in the position of being on the wrong end of a 6-0 scoreline – having lost to Jelena Ostapenko for the sixth time in a row.<\/p>\n
Ostapenko extended her flawless head-to-head record against the world number two in the Stuttgart quarter-finals on Saturday.<\/p>\n
So what’s behind the one-sided results?<\/p>\n
Having won the 2017 French Open, Ostapenko certainly has the pedigree and her explosive ball-bashing – when it works, and the winners outweigh the unforced errors – can have devastating consequences.<\/p>\n
Swiatek has encountered trouble against aggressive ball-strikers, too, so that adds further weight to the explanation.<\/p>\n
You also wonder whether there is a mental block against an opponent who a player knows has their number.<\/p>\n
Swiatek disputed that afterwards, saying her head “was much more clear” against Ostapenko in Stuttgart than her previous defeats.<\/p>\n
While the agony was prolonged, you can’t imagine a player of Swiatek’s quality will suffer a career-spanning hex.<\/p>\n
There is a long way to go until Swiatek enters the conversation of being on the receiving end of the most dominant head-to-head record.<\/p>\n
Gael Monfils has lost all 20 of his matches (so far) against Novak Djokovic, while Richard Gasquet’s 18-0 record against Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer’s 14-0 against Roger Federer are other notable lopsided match-ups in recent years.<\/p>\n
In fact, Swiatek could end the chastening run as early as next week, with Ostapenko slated to be a prospective last-16 opponent in Madrid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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