Iga Swiatek makes winning return to Madrid

 

World No.1 Iga Swiatek made a winning return to the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Austrian lucky loser Julia Grabher.

After winning four matches last week on the indoor clay at the Porsche Arena to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Swiatek's spring clay-court winning streak is now at five matches.

Back to the Caja Magica: In the midst of what became her history-making 37-match winning streak, Swiatek didn't play in Madrid last year due to a shoulder injury. She reached the third round in her tournament debut in 2021; seeded No. 14 that year, she lost to then-World No.1 Ashleigh Barty.

Swiatek's latest streak: Swiatek has now won her last 16 matches against qualifiers or lucky losers.

Her last defeat in such a match came before she won her first Grand Slam title: against Arantxa Rus at the 2020 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. Two weeks later, she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

Grabher replaced 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the women's field at the first WTA 1000 event on clay this spring, and came through a Round 1 match against fellow lucky loser Viktoriya Tomova to set up her first career match against a No.1 player.


Pera awaits: Swiatek will next face American left-hander Bernarda Pera, the No.28 seed. Pera was a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Germany's Tatjana Maria, putting her in the third round in Madrid for the first time in five years.

Pera and Swiatek have played once previously, in a dramatic qualifying match on grass in Birmingham in 2019: Swiatek won, 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

wtatennis.com

Good start for Iga after a few years absence. 

I'm keeping my expectations low but; with Rybakina going out in the first round today if Iga takes it match by match and improves who knows what might come of it. 

Jazda!