Iga Swiatek falls in Miami Quarterfinals to 19 year old wild card

 

Well this was unexpected to say the least especially after her match with Svitolina the other day. 

Every player has an off day and this was probably one of Iga's worst. 

Who knows maybe playing until midnight the day prior totally screwed up her sleep and routines (which is not uncommon and understandable). 

Whatever the reason this was definitely a case of Iga beating herself more than being beaten by her younger opponent.

19 unforced errors in the first set.

And did not hold serve once.

Quite a few forced errors with deep shots on the baseline from the youngster wild card Alexandra Eala. But Iga had plenty of breaks and break chances. 

Not being able to serve out the 2nd set at 4-2 and 5-4 is something she'll definitely have a lot of regrets about.

So for just the 3rd time in her young career Iga gets beaten by someone outside the top 100 (140 to be exact). That will probably sting a bit too. 

I've said this before but it's hard for her fans to reconcile this current level Iga's showing with the level we all know she's capable of. 

A level she herself set over the past 4 years so I can only imagine how Iga herself must be feeling being a perfectionist. 

I think at this point it's more mental than anything else honestly and a lack of belief and confidence. 

And if she is still thinking about losing the number 1 ranking and getting it back she definitely needs a different mind set because I doubt this sot of self imposed pressure is helping. 

On top of that dealing with things behind the scenes, the doping suspension, a new coach and the stalker harassing her during practice in Miami  is quite a lot to handle. 

I'm sure that's had an influence as well on many different levels.

It's all caused her to not feel any joy in her game at the moment I think. Just frustration and anger (which I thought had turned a corner in the Svitolina match) but today she showed it's still very much there.

She didn't seem to be listening to her coach who was actually giving her good instructions, and went on to mention to the Polish media that she actually doesn't like to be given constant point by point advice from the box. Which was very evident when she worked with Tomasz Wiktorowski. 

Although that might have been partially due to different coaching rules which were either none existent or limited at the time as opposed to now. So they definitely need to come to a consensus on that before the clay swing.

Maybe this early exit will turn into a blessing. Iga can have a bit of a rest at home before starting training on clay. 

The first tournament on clay will be Stuttgart so Iga can drive there and have her Dad for support.

Spending a few days at home might give her some peace and stability away from the craziness of the sport.

My hope is that just being on clay will give her a sense of comfort and confidence in her game (which she's in dire need of at the moment). 

On the other hand she will also be under immense pressure as the favourite having won all the clay court events last year (minus Stuttgart where she could make up some ground). Having that many points to defend could be a bit of a double edged sword. 

But if there was a surface I trust Iga to problem solve on the best and turn her forehand back into a huge weapon. It is clay. If she starts making the same type of errors on clay then I'll be really worried. 

I think Iga herself trusts her abilities on this surface more than any other. And who knows maybe this will be the year she finally figures out grass (I'm gonna keep saying it until I dream it into existence).

For all the analyzing and criticizing of Iga that I do on here, the main thing as a fan for me is to see her happy and enjoying the process and what she's doing.

Apart from anything else, I hope she gets to feel some joy in this sport again (the way she did at the beginning of the year in Australia). 

Hopefully clay will remind her of that. 

I'll be there to support her regardless. In good times and bad. 

Keep your head up Iga, see you in April.

   

Iga Swiatek battles past Svitolina for another quarterfinal in Miami

 

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland moved one step closer to her first title of the year with a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the Round of 16 at the Miami Open.


Swiatek needed 2 hours and 5 minutes to battle past former World No. 3 Svitolina, completing the quarterfinal lineup at the year's fourth WTA 1000 event just after midnight on Tuesday morning.

Fast facts: Swiatek is still alive in her quest for a second Miami Open title -- she won this event in 2022 to complete the Sunshine Double (winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same year). The only other women to complete the Sunshine Double are Stefanie Graf (twice), Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka.

Swiatek is indeed titleless so far in 2025 -- but despite that fact, she is still the tour leader in main-draw match-wins for the year. Her win over Svitolina was her 21st of the season, moving her ahead of Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka's 20 victories apiece.


Swiatek is also now 13-1 against Ukrainian players at Hologic WTA Tour events. Her only WTA Tour-level loss to a Ukrainian player was against Svitolina, in the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Match moments: Swiatek was up a break on three separate occasions in the first set, but each of those times, Svitolina broke back in the very next game, and the pair naturally settled the opening frame in a tiebreak.

Svitolina battled back from 3-0 down in the breaker, but Swiatek used deep, heavy forehands on the humid night to keep herself from falling behind. Swiatek earned her first set point at 6-5 with a crosscourt backhand winner, and the Pole closed out the one-set lead with one last forehand winner after 62 grueling minutes.

In the second set, Swiatek had three break points to take a dominant 5-1 lead, but Svitolina swatted those away and was eventually able to pull back on serve at 4-3. However, Swiatek broke again in a challenging 5-3 game, and she powered her way to victory from there. Swiatek finished the match with 34 winners to Svitolina's 22.

Wild card awaits: Swiatek will now face an unexpected opponent in the quarterfinals: 19-year-old wild card Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.

Eala moved into the first Hologic WTA Tour quarterfinal of her career when her fourth-round opponent, No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, withdrew in advance of their match due to a lower back injury.

Even though she received a walkover today, World No. 140 Eala is not to be taken lightly. Eala had been 0-4 against Top 40 players coming into Miami, but had a breakthrough win over No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko in the second round and an even bigger win over No. 5 Madison Keys in the third round.

With those wins, Eala became the first Filipina woman in the Open Era to defeat Grand Slam singles champions at any WTA Tour event -- and now she will play another in five-time major champion Swiatek.

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Talk about a weird match for about 15 games neither player could hold serve on the far side of the court. Thus lot's of breaks of serve. 

The quality of the match wasn't bad (lot's of great lengthy rallies). It just had a weird vibe, which I'm going to chuck up to being a night match (the first for both players) and the incredibly humid conditions.

Iga had quite a few errors on her forehand tonight, but stayed calm and didn't get frustrated. Played a great tiebreak where she was the braver of the 2 on set point.

All in all this kind of match could be good for Iga might not be playing her best and handing out bagels and breadsticks ala Indian Wells but that could actually be a good thing. 

She's having to battle and think her way out of situations. That'll will certainly give you more confidence in the long run than just running away with a match with zero challenge. 

Felt like that was part of the problem in Indian Wells all was good when Iga was leading but as soon as things got tough she panicked and had no plan B. So I'm taking both of Iga's last matches as huge positive.

Next up is someone I haven't seen much of fairly new to the sport a student from Rafa's Academy could be interesting. Should Iga get through it'd be another challenging semi with either Pegula or Raducanu (who's playing at quite a high level for the first time in Miami).

But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now we enjoy another quarter final for Iga at WTA 1000 level. 

Well done, see you Wednesday Iga.

Jazda!

OptaAce Stats:

37 - Since the format’s introduction in 2009, Iga Swiatek (37, level with Petra Kvitova) now only trails Victoria Azarenka (41) for WTA-1000 match wins over former WTA-1000 champions. Eclipse.

78.7 - Since the format's introduction in 2009, Iga Swiatek (78.7%, 37-10) holds the best win rate of any player at WTA-1000 events against former WTA-1000 champions – minimum five matches. Benchmark.

Iga Swiatek through to the round of 16 in Miami faces Svitolina

No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek reached the last 16 of a WTA 1000 event for a record 25th consecutive time with a 7-6(2), 6-1 defeat of No. 27 seed Elise Mertens in the Miami Open third round.

The Pole has not lost before the last 16 at this level since Cincinnati 2021, where she lost her second-round opener (following a bye) to Ons Jabeur. The second-most consecutive last-16 appearances in WTA 1000 tournaments is 18, tallied by Maria Sharapova between Indian Wells 2011 and Rome 2013 inclusive.

As in her previous match against Caroline Garcia, Swiatek did not have a straightforward ride. From 5-2 up in the first set, she was pegged back to 5-5 by Mertens, who won her ninth career title in Singapore last month. However, Swiatek took control by dominating the ensuing tiebreak, then rolled through the second set.

Two days previously, Swiatek had attributed her minor struggles against Garcia to an energy dip. On Sunday, the issue was her serve. In the first set, the 2022 champion only won 43% of the points behind her second serve, which allowed Mertens to get on the front foot and deliver pinpoint down-the-line winners. In the second, Swiatek solved the problem by raising her first-serve percentage from 60% to 79%, missing only four of her first deliveries.


"In the first set, my serve wasn't working perfectly," Swiatek said in her on-court interview. "I'm glad I was patient enough to just work for it, and in the second set I felt much better."

Swiatek will bid to reach her second Miami quarterfinal against No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina, who came through 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 over No. 15 seed Karolina Muchova. The Ukrainian now owns a 3-0 record against Muchova, having also defeated her twice in 2019. Swiatek leads her-head-to-head against Svitolina 2-1, including their only previous hard-court meeting in the third round of Dubai last year.

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Iga Swiatek starts with a win in Miami

No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek defeated Caroline Garcia for the second time in as many tournaments to reach the Miami Open third round, advancing 6-2, 7-5 in 1 hour and 34 minutes.

Two weeks ago at the same stage of Indian Wells, Swiatek needed just 61 minutes to run away with a 6-2, 6-0 victory. This time round, Garcia put up slightly stiffer opposition -- Swiatek needed to overturn a 3-1 deficit and save one set point (serving down 5-4) in the second set. However, Swiatek delivered a clutch home stretch to reel off the last three games and improve to 6-1 overall against the Frenchwoman.

The Pole raced out of the blocks, winning the first 10 points before Garcia got on the board. But after breaking to go up 1-0 in the second set, she suddenly lost three straight games with a spate of unforced errors. Afterwards, Swiatek ascribed this to an energy dip.


"My energy level got down really fast," she said in her on-court interview. "So I tried to wake myself up, keep the intensity from the first set, follow through and go for it."

Other than that, 2022 Miami champion Swiatek had largely repeated the strategy that had been successful in Indian Wells, despite the slightly different conditions.

"The tactics was kind of the same, because our game styles are the same," she said. "But for sure the way you play changes a bit. Yeah, I mean, the ball bounces lower here, for sure, and the air also is not that dynamic. I feel like I have to be ready for a little bit faster game and be even lower on my legs.

"But that's going to be the case against every player, not only Caro. But I wouldn't say there was much difference. The only difference is I let her come back to the game in the second set a little bit."

The result made Swiatek the first player in the history of the WTA 1000 format (since 2009) to win 25 consecutive opening matches at this level, a streak that dates back to Cincinnati 2021, where she lost in the second round (after a first-round bye) to Ons Jabeur. In the Miami second round, she will next face No. 27 seed Elise Mertens, who delivered a succession of fine drop shots to defeat Peyton Stearns 6-4, 6-1.

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Iga Swiatek adresses Indian Wells controversy

 

 

Iga Swiatek Instagram

So there we have it, Iga in her own words. 

About issues she was partially forced to address due to judgements, opinions and theories on social media as well main stream media scrutiny (who in my opinion blew things out of proportion). 

Nonetheless it's good to see Iga defending herself. 

It's quite insightful, and a real reminder of just how much she has been through these past several months. 

I have always appreciated her candidness, being an introvert myself I know how hard it can be to share deeply personal things with friends much less with the whole world. 

It's interesting she brings up losing the world #1 ranking I've always had my suspicious about that meaning a whole lot to her than she often let on.

Which she pretty much confirmed when she got it back from Sabalenka at the end of 2023.  

Not having the chance to defend it at the end of 2024 due to circumstances beyond her control (with the doping ban) clearly hurt a lot. And understandably so. 

When you're a perfectionist like she is with her own high standards and expectations it can be even harder to  let go of things or get used to a new status quo.

It's really no wonder she's having a hard time mentally at the moment it is a lot deal with for any average person much less a global athlete. 

It's actually been a bit tough for me to watch her since the Aussie Open ended. Its been tough seeing her so negative and angry and upset with herself and the people around her. 

But it's in hard  times that you always need support the most, so as her fan I will continue to support her and believe in her in good times and bad

I just hope that fans and people around her give her the support and understanding she needs to work on things.

Iga Swiatek suffers back to back losses to Mirra Andreeva this time at Indian Wells

 A few observations about this match, it was actually really high quality and I was impressed with how well Iga served throughout. 

It's the kind of match I was hoping for in Dubai. 

That 3rd set was very winnable from Iga's perspective. It came down to couple of key points towards the end, the 30 all point with Mirra serving to make it 5/3 where Iga made some errors on the backhand and the 30-0  and 30 all point on Iga's serve where she had a chance to put pressure on Mirra by making her serve it out. 

In all those points Iga just lacked a little something, she described it as guts in her post match interview with the Polish media. 

Said that lately when she is in pressure situations and she tries to go for it it just hasn't worked out and it's something she needs to work on.

All credit to Mirra who was more solid when it counted, but this definitely feels like a lost opportunity. 

Iga was actually doing a better job all match dealing with the  windy conditions, so much so in fact that you could tell it was visibly frustrating her opponent had Iga managed  to hold her serve to make Mirra serve it out I really think she would have gotten back into the match.

The match did seem to unravel a bit early on in the 3rd where Iga got so upset she hit a ball high trying to make it go on to the stands where her team was sitting. 

Which I think occurred after a double fault, and it escalated into an argument with the umpire. 

It was quite uncharacteristic. 

There's a lot of discussion online regarding her relationship with her psychologist and whether Iga should keep her on (which is actually nothing new and happens every time she loses) so I never give it any weight. 

But there's no denying now that Iga is lacking problem solving skills under stress and instead gets quite frustrated and angry. 

Whereas before she was able to keep it all in check despite the occasional panic when things weren't going her way. 

Keeping a cool head under pressure is something you could always count on with Iga especially in the penultimate stages of a tournament 

Lately that ability is just not there, you could also make the argument (as many have) that she still hasn't quite come to grips after everything that happened with the doping ban. 

Some keep referring to her loss at the Olympics as the thing that really changed things on a subconscious level. 

Personally I think she's processed all that, and it's more about lack of confidence (guts as Iga mentioned)  when she gets to the final stages. 

Not winning a title since mid last year would shake anyone's confidence really. 

Iga has her own very high standards and right now the frustration of not meeting them is losing her matches. She just needs to keep working to get back on track.

I think for all of us Iga fans it's a bit hard to reconcile what we're seeing right now because we're so used to her winning all the time. 

At the moment it's her opponents who are improving and evolving and Iga just hasn't caught up.  

Given time I think she'll get there and whether that involves some more changes with her team or something else only Iga truly knows.

I'll only start to worry if we don't see any results on the clay till than I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Let's see how things go in Miami.

Keep your head up Iga, your tennis is still there you just need to trust it more.

Defending Champion Iga Swiatek back in the semis of Indian Wells

 

No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek is continuing to set records at the BNP Paribas Open. The defending champion returned to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-3, defeat of No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen, her 10th straight match-win here.

Swiatek becomes the first player in tournament history to reach the Indian Wells semifinals in four consecutive years, and the third player to win her first four quarterfinals here following Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova. The Polish star has lost just two main-draw matches at the tournament in her career -- to Jelena Ostapenko in the 2021 fourth round and to Elena Rybakina in the 2023 semifinals. (In 2019, Swiatek also lost in qualifying to Ysaline Bonaventure.)

On Thursday, Swiatek looked dominant despite swirling winds.

"I think every time is a bit different," Swiatek said when asked about the conditions. "If I'm gonna adjust well, then I'm gonna be able to use it to my advantage in terms of, I don't know, playing more spinny with the wind so it bounces even higher."

This year, Swiatek has conceded only 12 games on her way to the semifinals -- tied for the fewest by any player who has played at least four matches to reach this stage, alongside Lindsay Davenport (2004), Justine Henin (2006) and Jelena Jankovic (2008).

Swiatek improves to 7-1 overall against Zheng, avenging a heartbreaking loss in last year's Paris Olympic Games semifinals, their most recent meeting. She advances to her third semifinal of 2025, and will face No. 9 seed Mirra Andreeva as she bids to reach her first final since Roland Garros last June. Andreeva, 17, rolled to her 10th straight win after defeating Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-3 to make her second straight WTA 1000 semifinal.

Superior serving, clutch play key for Swiatek: Between the two players, Zheng is more renowned for her serve. The Chinese player slammed a tour-leading 445 aces in 2024 and won a remarkable 76% of her first-serve points last year. But in this match, it was Swiatek whose delivery proved a greater weapon. The 23-year-old won 74% of her first-serve points compared to Zheng's 53%.

Her superiority was underlined by her clutch performance on return. Swiatek converted all five of her break point opportunities on Zheng's serve, while saving three of the five against her. Zheng will also rue to separate service games, down 4-1 in the first set and in the opening game of the second, in which she was broken from 40-0 up.

Scenic route to closing sets: At the tail end of each set, Swiatek wobbled briefly while Zheng played her best tennis. Swiatek led 5-1 in both, but was broken to have her lead cut to 5-3. The gulf was too much to make up both times, but Zheng's grit made the final scoreline more respectable -- the six games she won were as many as Swiatek's previous three opponents combined.

On avenging her loss to Zheng at the Olympics: "Well, obviously [coach] Wim analyzed this match," Swiatek said. "And we kind of spoke about it a bit, but besides the fact that this was the only match that I lost against Qinwen and I wanted to learn from it, it didn't really cross my mind that much, because I knew that this is on hard court and I knew what I did wrong on the Olympics."

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Sweet, sweet revenge. Slight wobble while serving it out but overall another superb performance from Iga in extremely blustery conditions.

Tomorrow another challenge awaits and another opportunity for revenge. Mirra Andreeva who served Iga her most recent defeat in Dubai just two weeks ago. 

I will say that in that match Iga capitulated by really letting her emotions overtake her and just completely lost the plot. I don't think that will be the case here.

Iga feels at home here, and I believe that even if it gets tough she will above all stay calm and find solutions, 

Jazda Iga, you can do this!. Trust your game and your serve and your superior athleticism. 

It's your time to finally get your first final of 2025.