Iga Swiatek falls short of Wuhan final to Polish compatriot due to injury

 

Maja Chwalinska reached her first WTA 1000 final with a straight-sets victory over Iga Swiatek in an all-Polish semifinal at the Dongfeng • Voyah Wuhan Open on Saturday. Chwalinska will face Great Britain's Sonay Kartal in Sunday's final, with both players bidding for the biggest titles of their careers.

Although Chwalinska was the first to break serve in the opening set, Swiatek consolidated a break of her own to take a 5-3 lead. Chwalinska saved two set points in the ninth game, after which Swiatek took a medical timeout to address a leg injury.

The former world No. 1 appeared hampered by the injury after returning to the court, as Chwalinska won 10 of the next 11 games to complete a 7-5, 6-1 victory in two hours, eight minutes.

The win levels the head-to-head record between the two countrywomen at 1-1, after Swiatek won their only previous meeting at an ITF event in Stockholm in 2016.

"From the beginning of the tournament, I kind of felt pain in my quad," Swiatek said in her post-match press conference. "I've been able to manage that day by day and we were already thinking of withdrawing after I played with Magda in the first round but I was quite able to play normal, so I wanted to push, and we knew that it's nothing like that it's gonna get worse or something, so in that case, you just need to block it out. But today was just too much, and that's unfortunate because I felt like we're playing great tennis and wanted to continue. Later on, I knew it's going to be tough to win, but I didn't want to honestly retire because wanted Maja to win it normally."

"It was such a physical match, especially the first set," Chwalinska said after the match. "She had set points, so it was very close to lose this one. I feel like what I did well is I really fought for every single ball and I could, I mean, I ran to everything I could. So I think that was crucial because I made her like, she had to put extra effort. i really hope she's going to be okay soon and hope she will qualify (for the WTA Finals)."

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It's rare that I feel truly conflicted after a match. On the one hand I'm extremely happy for Maja and all the success she's having (proving that her game translates just as well to the hard court as 

on clay). 

On the other I'm completely heartbroken for Iga who has been giving it her all this week. Despite feeling ill and as it turns out carrying a bit of an injury since the beginning of the tournament.  

Even thinking about withdrawing after the 2nd round but deciding to push through the pain anyway.  Shows what a competitor she is something that often goes underappreciated. 

Today her body just couldn't give anymore. 

The first set was actually quite enjoyable, but towards the end it was evident she was hurt and just couldn't move the same. 

Started bailing out of rallies with dropshots (which were actually quite effective and she should consider using them more next year).  

Watching her lying down on a towel in tears while waiting for the physio in clear physical pain was so tough. 

You could tell she was in quite a bit of discomfort. Some of it was probably also frustration at wanting to keep going but her body not co-operating. 

Just upsetting to see as a fan honestly. 

Clearly the only reason she didn't retire after the first set was because she wanted her best friend to have the full win. Huge respect. 

Iga has only ever retired from a match 3 times in her career. 

With this loss qualifying for the WTA Finals will get significantly tougher as she'll probably have to play 2 500s in 2 different countries to actually still have a shot. 

Some of it may depend on whether Karolina Muchova decides to play or not. 

Personally as much as I would love to see more of Iga's game all the way to the end of the season, I'm not so sure killing herself for it and risking a bad  injury would be all that worth it. 

What would even be the point of getting there if you're not a hundred percent, it's the one tournament you really have to be if you want to beat the top 7 players of the year. 

I want to see Iga play but I'd rather watch her at her best not limping to the finish in every match. 

Playing ugly just to win is not enjoyable for me, and it's not for someone of Iga's caliber who's capable of so much more when fully healthy.

I totally get ending the season on a high, winning matches and going into next season with confidence. 

But there's also something to be said for realizing it'd be wiser to let your body rest, and give yourself time to go all guns blazing training for 2027.

Obviously ultimately it's all up to Iga and her team and I'll be fine with whatever that choice will be. I just really want Iga to thrive next year. 

Let's see what happens over the next few weeks. Wishing Iga a speedy recovery and energy for whatever she decides to do.

Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek sets up another all-Polish affair in the semis of Wuhan

 

Another day, another milestone for Iga Swiatek.

The former World No. 1 defeated Ann Li 6-4, 6-1 in 1 hour, 33 minutes on Friday night to reach her first Wuhan semifinal and become the fourth player since 2009, and the only active player, to reach the semifinals at all 10 current WTA 1000 events.

There, she will face compatriot Maja Chwalinska for the first time at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level.

The matchup will mark the second professional meeting between the former junior doubles partners. They first met at an ITF event in Stockholm in 2016 when both were 15. Swiatek won 6-2, 6-3, and a few months later the pair finished runner-up in girls' doubles at the 2017 Australian Open.

"It's great that we have two Polish players in the semifinals. I think it means a lot to Polish tennis," Swiatek said in her on-court interview. "So hopefully it's going to be a nice match. I'm really happy for Maja. She for sure improved her game this year, so I'll be looking forward to the match."

This will be the first all-Polish semifinal at a WTA-level event in the Open Era, though Magda Linette and Magdalena Frech contested an all-Polish final in Prague in 2024.

It also marks just the second time since the tournament's inception in 2014 that two players from the same country will have met in the Wuhan semifinals, following Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xinyu in 2024.

Swiatek handled business in her opening matches against Frech and Ashlyn Krueger and did much the same against Li, who arrived at the quarterfinal stage playing some of the best tennis of her career.

To Li's credit, she pushed Swiatek deep into the opening set. But the six-time Grand Slam champion navigated service games of 14 and 10 points, respectively, and saved three break points in the final game to close out the set after 56 minutes.

From there, it was smooth sailing for Swiatek, who won seven of the final eight games overall to earn her second straight victory over an American and a third consecutive straight-sets win.

Li had her opportunities, but an 0-for-3 mark on break points and 49 unforced errors -- combined with Swiatek winning 74% of first-serve points and 60% of her second-serve points -- proved too much to overcome. The defeat denied Li a spot in her first WTA 1000 semifinal.

Still, Swiatek was quick to praise her opponent. Li upset top seed Aryna Sabalenka and reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal this week, and she is projected to achieve a career-high ranking Monday.

"We're playing really good tennis," Swiatek said. "We [both] have a lot of top spin. I'm happy with how I adjusted to the change of rhythm. We already played this year, and I know she's not an easy opponent. She's playing really great tennis and I like her style, so I knew I needed to be at the top of my game, loosen up my hand and play fast and brave."

This is now the seventh different WTA 1000 event where Swiatek has reached the semifinals without dropping a set and the first time she has done so since winning Cincinnati last season. A victory over Chwalinska on Saturday would send her to her first Wuhan final and leave her with final appearances at all 10 current WTA 1000 events.

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Despite not feeling well Iga really managed the match well today. 

She may not be at her highest level due to an illness but still has yet to drop a set in the tournament.

The 2nd set was particularly impressive. Her defense toward the end of that set was something else. 

Reminded me of her early days on tour, just being a wall and getting everything back with her incredible speed. 

Hopefully she's feeling well enough to play tomorrow, cancelling the post match press conference might give her that bit of extra rest she needs energy wise. 

It'd be a real shame if Iga couldn't compete in the 2nd all Polsih match of the tournament. 

Although I imagine it'll not be easy having toe play against your best friend.

Quite exciting for Polish tennis though, I'm genuinely looking forward to it.

Jazda!.

25 - Since the Tier format’s introduction in 1990, only Steffi Graf (28), Martina Hingis (36) and Monica Seles (37) have taken fewer Tier I/WTA-1000 main draw appearances to reach 25 semi-finals than Iga Swiatek (50). Echelon.

1 - Since 1990, Iga Swiatek (Rome, Toronto, Cincinnati and Wuhan in 2026) has become the first player to reach her first four WTA-level semi-finals of a season at Tier I/WTA-1000 events. Charge.

10 - Since 2009, Iga Swiatek is now the fourth player – and the only currently active player - to reach the semi-final at all 10 current WTA-1000 events along with Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Simona Halep. Collect.

Iga Swiatek wins 150th WTA 1000 match to reach the quarters in Wuhan

Iga Swiatek collected her 150th WTA 1000 win Thursday night in Wuhan, defeating lucky loser Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour, 34 minutes to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

Among the seven players to reach the milestone since the format's introduction in 2009, Swiatek (187) did so in the fewest matches. Since 1990, she is just the third player to record at least 150 wins within her first 50 Tier I or WTA 1000 main draws, joining Martina Hingis (162) and Serena Williams (153).

The milestone also helped Swiatek gain ground in the race to qualify for the WTA Finals Indian Wells. Karolina Muchova, who currently occupies the final qualification spot, fell to Diana Shnaider earlier Thursday in the Round of 16.

"It's not easy at the end of the season, so I'm really focusing on recovering every day as much as possible," Swiatek said in her on-court interview. "But I'm happy to get some wins, because I feel like I'm playing better than at the beginning of the season, so I'm ready to push and happy to be in the quarters."

Swiatek has now reached seven WTA 1000 quarterfinals in 2026, surpassing Elena Rybakina
 for the most by any player this season. It marked her 32nd career WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Only Aryna Sabalenka (33) has reached more among active players.

It wasn't Swiatek's sharpest performance, but her steadiness under pressure, combined with Krueger's mounting error count, carried her to a relatively straightforward victory.

Here are the key numbers from Swiatek's latest victory and what they could mean for the former World No. 1 moving forward:

5: Consecutive WTA Finals appearances. The 2023 champion has qualified for the year-end championships every year since making her debut in 2021. Entering the week, she was tracking toward an alternate position, but a few more wins could further tighten the race.

7: Break points saved. Swiatek excelled in the biggest moments on serve, saving seven of eight break points. Krueger created opportunities throughout the match, but Swiatek consistently came up with timely responses to escape trouble.

9: Wins against lucky losers. As a result, Swiatek improved to 9-0 against lucky losers in her career, with eight of those victories coming in straight sets. Her only three-set win over a lucky loser came against Zheng Qinwen in San Diego in 2022.

41: WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz match wins in 2026. With two more wins in Wuhan, Swiatek has improved to 41 victories on this season. She has been particularly effective since the return to hard courts, posting an 18-3 record since Toronto.

46: Unforced errors by Krueger. The American generated more winners than Swiatek (16-9) but undermined her efforts with 46 unforced errors, 19 more than her opponent. Many of her best opportunities disappeared through self-inflicted mistakes.

Swiatek will face Ann Li, who upset top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second round Wednesday, in the quarterfinals. Swiatek lost her only previous meeting with Li via retirement in Madrid earlier this season.

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Iga Swiatek wins another battle of the Poles this time in Wuhan

No. 7 seed Iga Swiatekand No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina kept their bids for a spot at the WTA Finals alive with second-round wins at the Dongfeng • Voyah Wuhan Open on Wednesday, albeit in contrasting fashion.

Swiatek had the easier path, scoring a 6-2, 6-1 win over fellow Polish player Magdalena Frech in 1 hour, 43 minutes. The victory was her 40th of the season on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz and her 149th in WTA 1000 events, moving her past Serena Williams (148) into outright seventh place on the all-time list since the format's introduction in 2009.

"I'm happy to get the first match on the center court because I didn't get a chance to play there before," Swiatek told the media after her win. "At the beginning of the match, it was point by point, but then I was happy that I started making less mistakes and I used my chances till the end of the match. For sure it was tougher than the score."

With her second win in as many meetings against the World No. 56, Swiatek improved to 19-2 against opponents ranked outside the top 50 this season. Her only two losses have come against No. 52 Maria Sakkari in Doha and No. 121 Zheng Qinwen at the US Open.

Swiatek has also recorded at least 40 wins in a season for the fifth consecutive year, a run of consistency she is pleased with.

"I mean every year has been so much different that there's no like recipe or solution," Swiatek said. "I'm happy that even though every year was different and presented different challenges, I'm able to be consistent and for sure this one has been.. toughest so still getting every win means a lot and you know I'll try to have as many as possible obviously."

Swiatek believes this season has been particularly challenging and she reflected on what she has learned from the struggles.

"Probably the biggest lesson will be that nothing will come easy because you know it kind of has been pretty up in my career going like always forward a little bit," she said. "When when I had some bad periods, I suddenly won something and I felt great. This year it's been a bit tougher. I think I will learn to have more grit and to find also little successes, not only be happy with the results, but also with the process and everything."

Swiatek will next face either Ashlyn Kruegeror Lanlana Tararudee. It would be her first meeting with either player.

wtatennis.com

This was a bit of a weird one, a very misleading one sided score line while the match was quite the opposite. 

Seemed like at times Iga really couldn't decide whether to be passive or aggressive, but slowly figured it out. 

I'm gonna chuck it up to Iga getting used to the conditions of the court. To the naked eye the court looks quite slow. 

Hopefully she'll play better in her next match as she'll have to make adjustments again playing her first night match of the tournament. 

Iga Swiatek makes 6th quarterfinal of the season at China Open

In the first career meeting between six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek of Poland and rising American teenager Iva Jovic, Swiatek advanced to the quarterfinals of the China Open in Beijing with a 6-1, 6-3 victory Wednesday.

Swiatek dominated the opening set, winning the first five games and earning two set points in the sixth game before Jovic held serve to get on the scoreboard. The Pole then held serve to close out the set on her fifth set point.

The second set began with Swiatek breaking early to take a 2-0 lead, but Jovic began finding more range and depth on her groundstrokes. The 18-year-old, ranked a career-high No. 13 in the world, broke back to level the set.

Jovic, who entered the match on a six-match winning streak after winning the Guadalajara title last month, saved two more break points in the next game to take a 3-2 lead. But Swiatek broke twice in a row to complete the victory in 1 hour, 36 minutes.

"For sure (today), I was using more of the chances that I got," Swiatek told the media after the win. "I was more proactive. Maybe changing the directions more instead of just being solid, more intense. When I needed that, I could play long rallies and be in defense, as well. Everything was working today."

Here are some of the notable numbers from Swiatek's fourth-round win:

9: Swiatek now has nine wins against players ranked in the top 20 on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz in 2026, against eight losses. She also recorded her 35th win against a player outside the top 10 this season, against eight losses.

31: Swiatek is through to her 31st career WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Among active players, only world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has reached more, with 33.


36: Swiatek has 36 wins against top-15 opponents at WTA 1000 events. Among active players, only Serena Williams, with 44, and Sabalenka, with 41, have more.

126: Swiatek has now won 126 of 128 WTA 1000 matches in which she won the first set. Both those losses have come in 2026 - to Maria Sakkari
 in Doha and to Magda Linette in Miami.

148: The victory was Swiatek's 148th WTA 1000 main-draw win, moving her level with Serena Williams. Among active players, only Sabalenka, with 156, has more. Overall, Swiatek and Williams are tied for seventh place for most wins since the WTA 1000 format was introduced in 2009.

Swiatek will face No. 13 seed Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals. Mertens, who defeated No. 3 seed Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in another fourth-round clash on Tuesday, has not beaten Swiatek in their two previous meetings.

"I feel like my game has improved," Swiatek said reflecting on her recent form. "Obviously sometimes playing the tournament is a bit tricky. Not everything is depending on you. I believe what I'm doing makes sense moving forward.

"That gives me the most confidence. For sure when you have great results on a match, it's always a good boost of confidence. But tennis is tough. You need to be ready for every match. Your previous results are not going to give you anything. I'm going to push no matter what and we'll see how it goes."

wtatennis.com

Iga was absolutely in the zone in the first set looked like she might score another bagel. 

In the 2nd set Jovic started playing much better and Iga's level dipped a tiny bit, but she she stayed solid and finished it off. 

An excellent performance. 

Mertens next which is a bit of a surprise since she had an 0-5 H2H with Gauff. 

If Iga plays like today should make the semis with no issues.

Jazda!

6 - Iga Swiatek is the second player since the format's introduction in 2009 to reach 6+ WTA-1000 quarter-finals for four years in a row (2023-2026) after Simona Halep (2015-2018). Strive.

40 - Since 1990, only four players have reached 40 Tier I/WTA-1000 rounds of 16 in fewer main draws than Iga Swiatek (49) – Martina Hingis (43), Lindsay Davenport (45), Conchita Martinez and Serena Williams (46 each). Rise.

Iga Swiatek comes back from brink of defeat to reach round of 16 at China Open

Iga Swiatek had won all four of her previous meetings with Donna Vekic, dropping just one set. But in their China Open third-round match Monday in Beijing, No. 30 seed Vekic appeared poised to end that run after taking a 6-4, 5-2 lead.

Swiatek, the 2023 champion, refused to let the match slip away. She broke Vekic twice to level the second set at 5-5, then won the tiebreak without losing a point to force a decider.

After the players exchanged breaks to open the third set, Swiatek broke again for a 3-2 lead and closed out a 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2 victory in 2 hours, 40 minutes.

"For sure I was in a bad position score-wise, didn't really know after the first set what to change to play better," Swiatek told the media after the win. "Later on in the second set I was playing more brave and more aggressive, changing more down the line. At the end I think it's what changed the rhythm of the match.

"I don't know how many points we both had, but I felt like I'm playing good. I felt like we might be even, but maybe she was winning the more important points. I knew I had my opportunities; I should push a little bit more. I just needed to go level up because she played really good, used these chances that I didn't use in the first set."

For Vekic, the loss marked her third defeat to a top-10 player in 2026, having previously lost to Mirra Andreeva at the Australian Open and Jessica Pegulaat Indian Wells.

Swiatek is through to the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event for the 40th time in her career and will be bidding to win her 13th title at this level.

It was also Swiatek's 147th win at WTA 1000 events. Only Serena Williams, with 148, and Aryna Sabalenka, with 156, have more.

She moves on to face No. 10 seed Iva Jovic next. The American defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 7-5 in another third-round battle on Monday.

wtatennis.com

Another tournament another wild rollercoaster from Iga. I'll admit at 5/2 down I had my finger on the power button of my tv and honestly considered turning it off. 

I honestly didn't think she had a chance at a comeback the way the first 2 sets went.

She couldn't make any headway on return in Vekic's service games and only had one break point all match which she didn't take. So I pretty much deemed it a lost cause. 

But Iga had other ideas. 

She said in her post match interview that she was really pissed, because she didn't think she was playing that badly. 

And to be fair in the fist set she really wasn't she just had one bad service game.

Maybe she should get pissed more often because it really worked :D. 

At 5/2 30 love on Vekic serve she became a different player. 

Probably a combination of having nothing to lose at that point and just wanting to try something different. 

She upped her aggression and suddenly all her returns started going it. 

I think even Vekic was surprised with how quickly the momentum changed and all of a sudden it was her feeling all the pressure on serve and failing to hold. 

And that tiebreak was something else. 

Just when you think Iga has accomplished everything  in her career she adds something new. 

For the first time she won a breaker without losing a point. 

It was pretty impressive to watch. 

It's like Iga just let go of all the stress and played with abandon. 

Safe to say everyone wishes she could do that more often but it's easier said than done.

I do hope she takes a lot of confidence for the next match facing a young American Iva Jovic for the fist time. 

This tournament has already been wild with both Sabalenka and new world #1 Rybakina going out early on back to back days.

So no idea what to expect but I'm excited to see it.

Jazda!.

40 - Since 1990, only four players have reached 40 Tier I/WTA-1000 rounds of 16 in fewer main draws than Iga Swiatek (49) – Martina Hingis (43), Lindsay Davenport (45), Conchita Martinez and Serena Williams (46 each). Rise.

For the first time in her LIFE, Iga Świątek wins a tiebreak 7-0. That considers European juniors, ITF juniors, ITF Tour, WTA Tour, and 145 total tiebreaks played.

Iga Swiatek back to winning ways at China Open

 

Former champion and No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek opened her campaign for a second China Open title with a straight-sets win over local wild card Xinyu Gao in the second round in Beijing on Saturday.

Swiatek, who won the title here in 2023, exchanged an early break of serve with the 244th-ranked Chinese player before gaining a two-break advantage to claim the first set 6-2. The Polish star, ranked No. 9, broke twice again in the second set to close out a 6-2, 6-3 win in 1 hour, 27 minutes.

"For sure, it was a solid match," Swiatek said after her win. "Many long rallies. I'm happy about that because I had a chance to get the rhythm of the court, feel the ball. For sure a good start. I'm happy to be back here."

Here are some key numbers from Swiatek's latest win:

5: The number of break points Swiatek converted in the match from eight opportunities. Gao earned only one break point and converted it.

6: This was Swiatek's sixth opening-match win in seven WTA 1000 events this season. Her only opening-round loss at a WTA 1000 event this year came in Miami, where she fell to compatriot Magda Linette

.6: This was Swiatek's sixth win in seven matches against opponents ranked outside the Top 100. Her only loss came to No. 121-ranked Zheng Qinwen in the fourth round of the US Open.

9: Swiatek has captured nine wins from her first 10 matches at this tournament. That is the most of any player, tying her with Coco Gauff and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

146: This was Swiatek's 146th career main-draw match win at WTA 1000-level events. Only two currently active players have more career main-draw match-wins at the WTA 1000 level -- Aryna Sabalenka (156) and Serena Williams (148).

4: Swiatek holds a 4-0 record against her next opponent, No. 30 seed Donna Vekic. Vekic defeated another Chinese wild card, Lin Zhu, 6-4, 6-2 to book her place in the third round. Three of Swiatek's four wins over Vekic have come in straight sets. This will be their fourth meeting on hard courts.

Swiatek added that qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals remains a big goal for her in the coming weeks

"For sure that's the goal. I'm going to be fighting for that. Obviously I'm aware. But it doesn't change the fact that it still feels pretty far as there are many tournaments where you can gain many points.

"I try to just take it step by step because if I'm focused only on the next match, this is where I perform my best. I've never been in this position, so for sure it's another experience in my career."

 

wtatennis.com    

Good first match, played with depth and margin on the groundstrokes. 

She was building pints with high percentage tennis.  

Even her serve was sold. 

Nothing but positives  for a first match back after a tough U.S. Open loss.

9 - Iga Swiatek has claimed nine wins from her first 10 matches at the China Open, the most of any player at this event - level with Coco Gauff and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Victory.