Iga Swiatek suffers earliest loss at Roland Garros since 2019

 

2026 marks the first Roland Garros where I honestly regretted setting my alarm for 5 am to watch Iga. 

It's always been something I looked forward to and couldn't wait for. But that was not the case today. 

Today I wish I had just slept through it. 

I can't even say I feel disappointed because, the overwhelming feeling is actually sadness. Sadness for the way things used to be vs the way they are now. 

And I realize I once again raised my expectations way too high knowing Iga's confidence is nowhere near where it should or could be, but it's hard not to do that when she's set the standard so high over the years. 

Afterall she did win Wimbledon out of the blue last year along with 2 other titles.

The belief in her is always there regardless of evidence to the contrary. The way it always used to be for me with Roger Federer. 

That's what legends do they make you believe. And despite her loss today Iga will always be that. 

A Legend. 

Even if she were to never win another Slam again.

Today felt a bit like watching Rafa at his peak vs when he was past his prime. But I know that she will be back, because unlike Rafa her career has barely begun and  despite what some may think she's not even in her prime (she literally turned 25 on this very day). 

I honestly think people forget sometimes just how young she was when she reached the height of her successes. She was just 19 when she won the first Roland Garros.

Right now though it's very evident that there's still a lot of work to be done in terms of getting back that mental toughness she had as a 19 year old and onward. 

I'm not going to talk about her sports psychologist or team or whatever else because I feel like I've done that ad nauseam this year.

Everyone online has really, but at the end of the day that's all it is talk and opinions. 

Only Iga knows what she needs and how to solve the issues she's having. And I think it's wise to remember that it'll take time and that as Iga herself admitted in her post match interview it may not happen in a month or even this year. 

It is interesting that she's considering hiring a 2nd coach after Wimbledon (which does makes sense given Roig has a serious injury and it's hard for him to travel everywhere). 

Iga does need someone who will be with her all year round. 

Having 2 coaches is certainly not a new concept, Jannik Sinner has had 2 for a while and it's working well for him. 

Maybe this is something Iga can also benefit from. She still needs someone to help her rediscover her belief in herself, her game and maybe most importantly her serve because it really let her down again today. 

Hard to put pressure on any opponent if you can't get free points yourself with the one weapon you can control. 

The saddest part about today might be not just the way she lost, (basically giving the match away after leading twice in the 1st set) but also the way she went out with a whimper instead of a fight. 

In a place that she dominated for years, a place she absolutely loves and celebrates her Birthdays at.

Must have felt like an absolute gut punch. 

I want to stay positive for Wimbledon but I don't know that the pressure of being the defending champion will do her any favors at this point. 

She's as low as can be and not even a good draw will help with that. If the belief in her game isn't there everything else falls apart. 

And 3 weeks doesn't feel like nearly enough time to find any solutions temporary or long term.

It's really too bad I was looking forward to the possibility that someone might finally defend the Wimbledon title (which hasn't happened since Serena Williams in the 2010's)

She may still surprise, in sport you just never know but there are just too many doubts at the moment.  

I do believe she'll comeback stronger yet, because as I've said many times in the past  someone with her talent is too good not to. 

But we'll all just have to be patient as she goes through the process. 

Hope she at least got to spend her Birthday surrounded by the people she loves, and that she remembers that there are a lot of people out there grateful that she exists.

And that without her Poland never would have gotten a Grand Slam champion and certainly not a multiple one. 

So Happy Birthday Iga, hope you rest up and enjoy yourself a bit before the sport makes demands of you again. 

See you on the grass.

Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek back in the 2nd week of Roland Garros

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek is looking like her old, dominant self in Paris.

The Pole moved through her third-round clash with compatriot Magda Linette on Friday afternoon on Court Chatrier, pulling away after a tense opening eight games, to book her eighth trip to the second week on the Parisian clay, 6-4, 6-4.

Tension rippled through the encounter in the early stages, with Linette angling for her second consecutive win over Swiatek after defeating her in three sets in Miami in March. After falling behind 2-0, Swiatek settled in and methodically gained the upper hand.

The six-time major champion clocked a fizzing forehand winner for a break for 5-4 then prevailed in one of the longest rallies of the match a game later to lock down the opening set, 6-4.

Noticeably bossing the rallies, Swiatek showed signs of her former self as she ratcheted up the spin and trajectory of her forehand to put Linette on a string in her backcourt.

“Iga’s forehand looks much different today than it was in the first few rounds of this tournament,” said three-time major champion Lindsay Davenport, who commentated the match for TNT. “She’s able to hit through the court more effectively, she’s up at almost 3000 rpms – that is a lot.”

According to graphics shown during the broadcast, Swiatek is finding nine centimetres more net clearance on her forehand this year, compared with last year, and she is delivering approximately 160 more rpms off that devastating forehand wing.

After claiming the opener, Swiatek raced out to a double-break lead, but 73rd-ranked Linette answered back, recapturing one of the breaks for 2-4 and holding for 3-4 to put pressure back on Swiatek.

Swiatek, the consummate frontrunner on the terre battue, closed the books on Linette in an hour and 25 minutes, finishing the match with two consecutive holds of serve. The 24-year-old remains undefeated at Roland-Garros after claiming the opening set, winning 39 such matches, and 37 of those 39 in straight sets.
Kostyuk next

The 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 champion improves to 43-3 lifetime at Roland-Garros and sets an enticing round of 16 clash with Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who will carry a 14-0 record on clay into their fourth career meeting.

Swiatek has won the previous three, including a 6-3, 6-4 triumph in Paris in 2021 in their only clay court meeting.
Forehand firing up

Though she had some struggles on serve during Friday’s contest, Swiatek can take comfort in the fact that her forehand is now firing on all cylinders.

“She’s getting back to playing more clay-court style tennis, not trying to outhit big hitters, but using the bounce and using her topspin to do a lot of the work on the clay,” Davenport said.

1993 women’s singles finalist Mary Joe Fernandez was also impressed.

“It gives her more safety, so she has more margin for error, and it also gives her more time to set up the next shot, when she hits higher over the net,” said the American, also a TNT commentator. “Now she’s using it in a better way to open up the court.

"That’s when she’s at her best, when she can just start controlling the point, moving her opponent from corner to corner, and the forehand is where it all starts.”

rolandgarros.com

Iga Swiatek sets up a historic all-Polish 3rd round at Roland Garros

 

Iga Swiatek is reticent about stretching her culinary skills too far after conceding she only really knows one simple yet publicly divisive pasta dish.

Fortunately, success opens doors for a six-time Grand Slam champion, one of which includes having a chef come to do the cooking at her Paris accommodation during Roland-Garros.

The Pole had enough on her hands finding a way past wily Czech lefty Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 in the second round, so the thought of retreating to her off-site haven and have someone else whip up a post-match feast was a welcome reward.

Though she has made no secret of recalibrating between matches, taking a book to a park or making a quick side trip to the likes of the Palace of Versailles, this year satisfying the palate is her off-court French focus.

“Honestly, this year is more about cuisine, I would say, because actually I have a chef in the evening from Roland-Garros,” Swiatek said. “You know, he's I think working at this restaurant next to [Court] Simone-Mathieu.

“So I would say this year I'm exploring a little bit healthy French cuisine – not French fries, though. No, I mean, he has the skills. I have no talent. I would just make a mess in the kitchen.”

During her run to a maiden Wimbledon crown last year, Swiatek revealed a traditional Polish dish from childhood, makaron z truskawkami – pasta with strawberries – was her favourite meal to cook.

She reminded the world her cooking skills hadn’t developed in an on-court interview at this year’s Australian Open.

“I’m a terrible cook. Honestly the only thing I can do is pasta with strawberries. Half of the world is hating on it,” she said. “I don’t get why. Honestly that’s the only thing I can do.”

There’d be no such dish on the menu during a major, much less requested of a French chef in the house.

With meal preparations left to the expert, Swiatek was left to ply her expertise to her march towards the second week in Paris.

It remained on track on Court Philippe-Chatrier but not without a glitch after the wily Bejlek’s variety caused more than a few issues.

The Pole did not have it all her own way but stepped up when it mattered to improve her record against southpaws to 40-5 across all levels.

Searching for her first claycourt title since Roland-Garros two years ago, the third seed left plenty of room to iron out kinks on serve following the 94-minute affair on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Of the eight games the 24-year-old has conceded across two rounds, six were against her serve, including when she tried to close out the opening set against the Czech.

Fortunately for Swiatek, her most dominant game on serve came while shutting the door on this year’s Abu Dhabi champion, a love hold setting an all-Polish third-round showdown after Magda Linette denied former champion Jelena Ostapenko.

“She was pretty good in defence, and I had many opportunities to attack,” Swiatek said. “Sometimes even too many, you know? So when you attack, like most of the balls, of course, you're going to make more mistakes, because it's easier to push the ball back than to actually add a lot of energy to it and try to open the court …

“Pretty unpredictable, I would say, but I didn't mind. I wanted to be flexible and adjust and play my game. Sometimes I had some moments where the mistakes happened, but at the end I feel like I was the one that had control over the game, and it was up to me if I'm going to finish these points or make a mistake. In important moments I was focused and patient enough to play solid.”

rolandgarros.com

While Iga's serve really let her down this match, the rest of her game was solid. She returned well, and extended rallies with a lot of patience something that often goes missing when her serve lets her down but not today she kept her frustrations at bay even despite getting broken a few times. 

Most notably she felt comfortable enough to throw in a bunch of dropshots in one game. Something she used to do a lot more of, but which Wiktorowski got her out of and didn't nurture. 

Definitely will need to improve her serve, but she's not now got a chance to avenge her loss to Linette in Miami if she plays like she did in the first set of that tournament it could be a quick one. 

Thank you Magda Linette for taking out Jelena Ostapenko.

I will say that having 2 Polish players play each other at Roland Garros for the fist time is pretty cool. 

Hopefully it'll be nice and straight forward for Iga because the challenges ahead will only get harder, but we take it one match at a time. 

Jazda!

27 - In the Open Era, only Rafael Nadal (54) and Bjorn Borg (33) have faced more unseeded players than Iga Swiatek (27) at Roland Garros without ever losing. Unfriendly.

42 - Iga Swiatek has become the player with the most wins in Women’s Singles at Roland Garros after her first 45 main draw matches in the Open Era (42, equalling Chris Evert). Legendary.

Iga Swiatek back at Roland Garros with a comfortable win

Iga Swiatek’s bid to reclaim the Roland-Garros crown is off to a hasty start after she allowed 17-year-old Emerson Jones just three games at the first hurdle.

In full flight under full sun on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the Pole delivered a 6-1, 6-2 clay-court masterclass in exactly 60 minutes – her heavy-kicking forehand keeping the teenage Australian under the pump on serve and on the run.

For the athletically blessed Jones, whose mother Loretta Harrop was a silver medallist triathlete at the Athens 2004 Olympics, it was the ultimate learning experience in her first Paris venture since reaching the girls’ singles semifinals last year.

Swiatek was less than two months older when she made her Paris debut and reached the fourth round in just her second major appearance.

Next time round, in 2020, she famously mounted the most unlikely charge for her maiden Grand Slam trophy.

“I feel like in 2019 I already played junior tournament, so I already kind of knew the vibe of the whole event, but obviously it's different playing at a pro level,” Swiatek said.

“I was just trying to do the best result possible with the game that I had, but next year, you know, maybe the difference was that every match I felt like I'm playing better and better, and I really felt like my game is fitting these courts.

“Match by match, I thought maybe I can go one more. I had many more belief, you know.”

In a tussle between the former world No.1 and former junior No.1 on Monday – they concurrently held top spot in their respective rankings in late 2024 – the third seed and four-time champion was relentless throughout, relishing the extra zing in her shots in the heat.

Swiatek could empathise with having salvaged just one game against third seed and reigning champion Simona Halep in that last-16 showing on debut.

“In 2019 I also played quite good. I remember I was a bit injured, but then with Simona, obviously she beat me pretty hard,” Swiatek said. “It was heartbreaking, but it was a lesson that I had to learn. She was playing her best game back then. For sure, without that loss, I wouldn't play much better next year, you know. That's the story.”

The novelty of being an unknown quantity worked in the young Pole’s favour particularly in her early years on tour.

While a handful of women before her had deployed such heavy-kicking and aggressive topspin, Swiatek took it to another level.

It required a period of adaptation for the rest of the field and while her rivals knew better now what to expect, execution was another matter.

“For sure players got used to it. I remember it was all a surprise in 2022 [her most dominant season],” she said.

“It was quite interesting that next year I felt totally different. I think this is what people say when they say it's harder to stay on the top, because you need to adjust your game so it's not that simple for people anymore. Yeah, they get used to it, for sure.

“But on the other hand, I can still make these shots better and they still work. When I played against Ash [Barty], I knew exactly what she's gonna play, but she did it so good that I was still losing these points.

“I knew exactly that she's gonna slice me to the backhand. I'm gonna try to, you know, pick it up with my backhand topspin and she's gonna finish me with her forehand.

"But still I played this one not so good, you know, because her slice was amazing. She played her forehand so well, that I still had no chance.”

Swiatek preserved her flawless Grand Slam record in main draws and qualifying against players outside the top 100 to set a second-round meeting with Czech Sara Bejlek.

For Jones, there was much to take away from her first outing on Chatrier. As Swiatek can vouch, it’s how you respond next time round that matters.

rolandgarros.com

Iga Swiatek fights, but falls short of the final in Rome

 

Well, what can I say about this match, I think it's best I start with the fact it was played late at night after 10pm and went way past midnight. 

Conditions were, cold, slow and damp (with rain earlier in the day). Not ideal for someone like Iga who relies on the spin on her shots especially her forehand. 

Night conditions rendered it a bit irrelevant allowing a scrapper like Svitolina to keep getting one more shot back (with balls which were undoubtedly more heavy). 

It's no secret that Iga hates playing at night so the tournament didn't do her any favours there (and as her fan and a fan of the sport in general I reserve the right to be mad about that for a while). 

Why are we still making players play after 11pm.

 Just why?. 

No other sport in the world does this it is dangerous, dumb and completely unnecessary. 

Especially when you consider this tournament is 12 days long with breaks in between and a first week where the top 10 don't even play.

It's not like we couldn't have had both the women and men's final on the same day. Indian Wells does it and it's fantastic.

No instead we have this shit show where even yesterday a men's match went on until 2am. 

Beyond ludicrous.

Despite this loss I'm proud of Iga for her attitude on court, she dealt well with having to play in conditions that were more suited to her opponent. She corrected the mistakes in the 2nd set and got it into a 3rd. 

Maybe got a bit impatient and overhit in the final set but it's understandable with how well Svitolina was retrieving that coupled with the fact she's probably used to sleeping at the time they were playing and patient point construction went out the window. 

She still tried and fought. 

It doesn't take away from how well she was playing this tournament, finally broke the quarterfinal and top 10 loss curse. It's the best she has played in months. 

Positives all around in that respect. 

Feeling real encouraged for Roland Garros with this run in Rome. 

Sure there may still be some work to do but this is a huge step forward. It's hard to get that confidence and self assuredness when you haven't been at the tail end of tournaments for a while.

She's still lacking the clutch factor on big points so not quite back to her old self just yet. 

But it was very clear here in Rome that if there's a chance of getting that back for Iga it's on the clay.

Part of me will always think what could have been had they played in the day with the sun out instead. 

Because I knew Svitolina would be tough either way, but things swung in her favor even more as soon as it became a night session. 

The first game of the 3rd set where Iga had break points and didn't take them decided the match.

Regardless it was a great run and I hope Iga is proud and keeps her head high. 

All that training is definitely  paying off.

On to Paris we go.

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek makes first semis of the season in Rome

It has been an underwhelming season by Iga Swiatek’s standards. She briefly fell to No. 4 in the rankings last month, failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals of a WTA event outside team competitions and changed coaches three months into the season. But with Roland Garros approaching, she appears to be finding her form again.

On Wednesday, the fourth seed delivered one of her most impressive performances of the season on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, defeating No. 5 Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 in one hour, seven minutes to advance to the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. She will face either second seed Elena Rybakina or No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina next.


"For sure I'm really happy with the match," Swiatek told the media after her win. "From the beginning I felt like I can dictate. Tactically everything made sense as well. I was feeling the ball really well. I just used my chance and was pretty confident."

Here are some key takeaways from Swiatek’s victory:

Swiatek did not face a single break point on serve during the match. She landed 77.8% of her first serves and won 77.1% of first-serve points and 60% of second-serve points.

By comparison, Pegula landed 64.4% of her first serves, winning 62.1% of first-serve points and just 12.5% of second-serve points.

"Honestly, I feel on clay that there is not so much pressure on the serve because it's not so easy to get free points," the Pole responded when told about the stat in her post-match press conference. "I know I have a really great baseline game, so even if my serve is going to be kind of normal and not do a lot, I know it's still in my hands what to happen with the point. I don't think it's that much important. For sure, the placement is more important than the speed here because the ball will bounce pretty high anyway, even when you serve like 180. It's good to already, like, open up the court if you can with the serve."

The victory over the fifth-ranked Pegula marked Swiatek’s first win over a top-10 opponent this season. She had lost her previous six matches against top-10 players, including four in 2026, marking the longest such losing streak of her career.

Despite that run, Swiatek still owns one of the strongest records against elite opponents on tour. Since making her debut in 2019, she has recorded 54 wins over top-10 players, two more than current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka

Swiatek improved to 7-5 overall against Pegula and 2-0 against the American on clay.

Six of Swiatek’s seven wins over Pegula have come in straight sets, while three of Pegula’s five victories have also been in straight sets.

With the win, Swiatek improved to 25-3 in her career in Rome, which she has won on three occasions. In the Open Era, only Chris Evert, Conchita Martinez and Gabriela Sabatini reached 25 Rome wins in fewer matches, with each doing so in 27 matches.

Among players with at least 10 matches played in Rome during the Open Era, only Chris Evert owns a better winning percentage than Swiatek. Evert posted a 92.3% win rate, while Swiatek now stands at 89.3%.

"The goal was to play as many matches as possible," she said of her week in Rome. "I'm really happy that I just have opportunity to do that because I felt like I didn't play a lot at all, comparing to last season. I'm happy that I can spend some time on the court and play really solid matches against the best girls. For sure it's giving me confidence because you can practice as much as possible, but if you don't test it out on the court, play matches and face pressure or something, you're going to still feel the little bit rusty when it comes. I'll play hopefully two more here."

Swiatek holds a 6-6 career record against Rybakina and a 4-2 edge against Svitolina.

However, she lost her most recent meeting against both players - falling to Rybakina in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January and to Svitolina in the Indian Wells quarterfinals in March.

wtatennis.com

Another superb performance from Iga from start to finish. 

A statement win. 

Looking more and more like vintage Iga in Rome. 

Feels like it's been a long time coming.

Slowly but surely things really are starting to click, and it makes me so happy to able to say that. 

I was worried Pegula's flat strokes would give Iga trouble, but they don't have as much effect on clay especially when Iga's forehand and spin come into play.

As I said in my last post when Iga's game flows even her serve improves (almost 80percent in today) that's about as good as it gets.

Huge strides were made today by winning against #5 Pegula, Iga broke 6 straight losses to top ten opponents, and 4 straight losses in the quarters. 

Her level is rising and things are looking up.

Svitolina or Rybakina next both would be tough. 

Svitolina is a fighter so it'd prepare her for Gauff were they to play in the final.

Rybakina of course has the big serve and confidence winning a lot of matches this year. But Iga did beat her at Roland Garros last year. And the last time they played in Rome Iga retired at one set all due to a rib issue. 

So I always take Rybakina's lone win in Rome with a grain of salt or asterisk I guess. I'll always wonder what would have been had Iga not retired.

When Iga plays well on clay she is still superior to Rybakina serve and all.

It certainly won't be easy, but it'd be a great litmus test before Roland Garros as well.

First semis of the year tomorrow.

Jazda!.

22 - Iga Swiatek is now the currently active player (among those appearing on Tour this season) with the most WTA-1000 semi-finals (22), surpassing Aryna Sabalenka (21). Jump.

25 - Iga Swiatek has claimed her 25th win in Rome after 28 matches played at the event - in the Open Era, only Chris Evert, Conchita Martinez and Gabriela Sabatini (27 each) have played less to reach this milestone. Home.

50 - Iga Swiatek has played today her 50th WTA-1000 clay court match (43-7): since the format’s introduction in 2009, only Serena Williams (44) had more wins after her first 50 matches on the surface in such events. Queen.

Iga Swiatek puts on her best performance in Rome to get back into a 5th quarterfinal

 

Iga Swiatek handily defeated Naomi Osaka in a battle of Grand Slam champions Monday, dropping just three games in a 6-2, 6-1 victory that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the Rome quarterfinals for the fifth time. 

Awaiting her there is Jessica Pegula, who took the scenic route at times in her straight-sets win over Anastasia Potapova but still crossed the finish line after 1 hour and 38 minutes, winning 7-6 (6), 6-2 to reach the last eight for the first time since 2021 and the second time in her career.

Swiatek improved to 3-1 against Osaka at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level, winning each of their past three meetings. This may have been her most impressive of the bunch, as she took control early and never truly relinquished it. Long regarded as one of the sport's best front-runners, she looked the part in what began as a highly anticipated showdown but quickly became a showcase of her talent.

Meanwhile, Pegula extended her perfect record against Potapova to 6-0. Pegula has now reached seven quarterfinals this season, tied with Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina for the most on tour. Swiatek follows closely behind with five.

There were flashes of brilliance from Osaka, but they were too few and far between to make it competitive against Swiatek, who spent the evening operating at near-peak efficiency.

After exchanging breaks early, Swiatek broke again for a 3-2 lead behind a trio of winners. It was the first of four straight games won by the six-time Grand Slam champion to close out an opening set shaped largely by Osaka's 20 unforced errors. The second set, however, was all Swiatek.

She finished it with 15 winners to just six unforced errors, though even those numbers undersell her performance. Swiatek struck a forehand winner to set up a break point in the opening game, which she converted for a 1-0 lead. What followed was:Swiatek forehand winner to seal the hold for 2-0
Osaka hold after saving a break point
Swiatek forehand winner to seal the hold for 3-1
Swiatek backhand return winner to set up triple break point, breaks for 4-1
Swiatek ace to seal the hold for 5-1

For good measure, she finished the match with a final backhand winner to close out about as dominant a victory one can have over a player of Osaka's caliber. Swiatek totaled 23 winners to 18 unforced errors and delivered a clean day on serve, landing 67% of her first serves and winning 68% of those points, while taking 67% of her second-serve points.

She is now 116-2 in completed WTA 1000 matches after claiming the first set, with 108 of those now coming in straight sets.

Swiatek and Pegula will meet for the 12th time on Wednesday in one of the more balanced rivalries on the WTA Tour. Swiatek leads the head-to-head 6-5 and won their lone clay-court meeting at Roland Garros in 2022, but Pegula will enter having won their last two matchups in straight sets.

For Swiatek, a win would send her to the Rome semifinals for the fourth time. History suggests that would bode well for her chances of winning her first title of the season, as each of the previous three times she reached the final four at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia she was crowned champion.

wtatennis.com

That was by far Iga's best performance of the season on any surface against a quality opponent. 

People said that about Cocciaretto yesterday, but Osaka's ball was far better quality (especially on serve) and Iga handled it superbly.

Naomi wasn't even playing badly but Iga just looked in another league. Her retrieval skills were on point. 

Earlier this year she talked about wanting to become a wall again on clay, safe to say she achieved that today. 

It was very much vintage Iga on clay showcasing once again why she's is a 6 time Grand Slam Champion and why she has won Roland Garros 4 times. 

For the first time since changing coaches Iga actually looked self assured and confident in her shots, and because of that her serve and the rest of her game just flowed.

It was also the 2nd time this year that she didn't let her lead slip in the 2nd set like she's been doing  for most of the season, but was her ruthless efficient self all the way through.  

It was an absolute pleasure to watch, like a breathe of fresh air.

It's early days but you can already tell Roig is a better fit coach wise than Wim Fisette. 

He was more into analytics, Roig seems more practical in terms of preparing for matches and actually give Iga a good game plan. 

With Wim she often looked lost when things weren't going well.

Roig and Iga seem to get along really well, and know what they want to achieve and how to go about it together (which is important). 

The way she and Wiktorowski used to do.

Speaking of Wiktoroski how great was it to see Iga play so well with Osaka's coach (her former coach) watching.

Must have felt great.

I said a few posts back that Caty McNally helped play Iga into form and I stand by that. 

This match could be the catalyst  that finally makes everything click again. 

Something Iga and all her fans have been waiting for. 

Pegula next which won't be easy given how flat she hits, but if Iga plays anything like today not even Pegula's style of play will stop her progress. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek sweeps past Cocciaretto, sets up a rematch with Naomi Osaka on clay in Rome

 

Iga Swiatek defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-0 in 65 minutes Sunday to reach the Rome fourth round for the fifth time. She joined No. 15 seed Naomi Osaka, who earlier in the day scored an equally dominant win over No. 19 seed Diana Shanider to advance to her third straight Round of 16 in Rome.

Osaka needed just 54 minutes to dispatch Shnaider, dropping only three games in a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

As a result, the two multi-time Grand Slam champions -- who account for 10 Major titles combined -- will meet in a marquee fourth-round matchup at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. It will be their fourth meeting at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level and their first since 2024. Swiatek leads the head-to-head 2-1.

Their most recent clash was an instant classic: a second-round thriller at Roland Garros in which the then No. 1-ranked Swiatek outlasted Osaka 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 after saving a match point en route to a third straight French Open title.

The now-World No. 3 expects a similar challenge this time.

"She's a great player," Swiatek said in her on-court interview after beating Cocciaretto. "We've played a lot and (had) a really tough match at Roland Garros two years ago, so I know what she can bring and how well she can play when she feels the ball. So I'll prepare technically and I'll be ready."

If you're saying to yourself, "That scoreline looks familiar," you're right. Swiatek and Cocciaretto met for the first time last year in the second round in Rome, and Swiatek won handily, dropping just one game.

Sunday was a case of wash, rinse, repeat for the three-time Rome champion. She stormed out of the gates, breaking in the second game and again in the sixth to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Moments later, she closed the opening set the same way she started it -- with an ace.

Cocciaretto appeared on track to secure a rare hold while trailing 2-0 in the second set before a brief rain delay halted play for a few minutes. Swiatek won four straight points after play resumed, finishing the game with a forehand winner to break for 3-0.

Swiatek won the last nine games against a seemingly hampered Cocciaretto, who received a brief visit from the physio late in the first set. But regardless of Cocciaretto's condition, it was a much-needed show of dominance from Swiatek, whose focus throughout was on her execution.

"I just wanted to be solid and focus on myself no matter what the score was," Swiatek said. "Sometimes at the end of the match it's easy for the opponent to let go and just go for it. So I wanted to just play as I planned and how I played the whole match, and at the end it worked. I really liked how I played today. My serve was good, I was opening up the court, so it was really nice."

Cocciaretto did let go at the end, saving three match points and earning her first three break points in the final game, but Swiatek didn't waver. Instead, she converted her fourth match point to secure the win. Swiatek finished with 17 winners to 11 unforced errors and won 72% of her service points, a level she'll hope to carry into her meeting with Osaka.

If there was one word to describe Osaka's week, stunning might do the trick -- first at the Met Gala, and then on court, especially on Sunday. In what was perhaps her most complete performance of the 2026 season, Osaka dismantled Shnaider, who reached the Rome quarterfinals last year before falling to eventual champion Jasmine Paolini in three sets.

Like Swiatek, Osaka broke in the second game and again in the sixth for a 5-1 lead before taking the first set in 24 minutes. She continued to face little resistance in the second, unleashing a backhand winner from outside the court to help her break for 3-2, then breaking again in the penultimate game to more within one game of victory.

wtatennis.com

Finally today truly felt like vintage Iga (yes Cociaretto doesn't really have weapons to hurt her but still).

She kept her focus from start to finish even made sure not to get broken and punctuated it with a bagel.

That's the front runner mentality we're all familiar with. 

Feels like a breath of fresh air, even if it doesn't make for the most entertaining of matches.

I think Iga needed a win like today. 

Just to remind herself how well her game works on clay and how good she feels on it.

Beyond great to see.

Of course with this win she set up a rematch of sorts with Naomi Osaka on clay (when they met in round 2 of Roland Garros few years ago it was an instant classic) and one people talk about till this day.

Hard to say if this one will live up to it, but if they can bring at least half the level they showed in that match it'll be popcorn worthy.

And I for one can't wait.

The only thing that would make this better is if they were playing in a final instead of 4th round.

Win or lose I hope Iga takes some confidence from it in time for Roland Garros.

Excited would be an understatement. 

Is it tomorrow yet?.

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek hangs tough in first match back in Rome

 

ROME -- No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek took the scenic route into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia third round, surviving a valiant comeback from Caty McNally to win 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 in 2 hours, 43 minutes.

At 6-1, 3-1, the three-time Rome champion Swiatek appeared to be cruising through her opener. Her topspin was jumping off the court, she was striking a series of forehand winners, and she was breaking down McNally’s drive backhand in extended rallies. But she squandered three break points for a 4-1 lead with cheap unforced errors, and from that point on the match turned into a battle.

"For sure, not an easy first match," Swiatek said in her press conference. "The conditions were kind of heavy. The ball was flying slow. So we had many long rallies, many moments where you could create a lot on the court."

McNally -- the only player to win a set from Swiatek at Wimbledon last year -- had never beaten the Polish star at pro level. But she did have a memorable victory over Swiatek on clay -- a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 comeback in the 2018 Roland Garros junior event. As McNally began to impose her touch on the match, she threatened a similar turnaround.

Swiatek served for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set and reached 30-30 both times, only to lapse into errors, getting broken on backhands that sailed well over the baseline on each occasion. Afterwards, she vowed that those would be learning experiences.

"Honestly, I want to watch this game and see if there's something that I did wrong," she said when asked about her attempts to serve out the win. "I'm not sure even what I did ... I don't exactly remember what happened in that game. But I will watch the match. I'll watch it and I'll see."

As her accuracy wavered, McNally grew more effective at drawing mistakes from Swiatek with her defense. McNally’s slice had little impact through the first set and a half, but her ability to reset points with it became a key factor in turning the second set.

In the third set, it nearly unraveled again for Swiatek. She broke McNally for 3-1, but missed a chance to extend the lead to 4-1 with a double fault, then handed the break straight back with a string of errors.

But this time, Swiatek regained her focus. As McNally held a point to level at 4-4, Swiatek swatted away a return to deny her. Two dialed-in clean winners followed, and then the break for 5-3. There would be no repeat of her second-set travails. Solid offensive patterns brought Swiatek to match point, and she converted as McNally sent a forehand just wide.

"I was really happy with the first set, then I made some mistakes," said Swaitek. "Also Caty, I felt like she was playing one more ball in, really grinding in defense. I needed to be patient. I'm happy at the end of the match I was solid and I used the right balls to attack, but was also patient enough to stay in the rally."

Swiatek will next face either No. 28 seed Emma Navarro or home hope Elisabetta Cocciaretto

 wtatennis.com

Well this match turned into an unnecessary  rollercoaster after a very straight forward first set. 

Should have won it in straights after serving for it twice. I swear it's all tied to confidence at this point, she has lost that ruthlessness she was so good at. 

But the rest of her game is still there for her on clay. 

Just needs the belief back. 

And more matches, sadly she hasn't had as many matches on clay as usual with losing early in Stuttgart and withdrawing from Madrid. 

She's had a total of 5 matches compared to others who have had double that. 

I think with every match things will get better. I can already see a lot of the Iga of old with the new coach at the helm. 

Proud of the way Iga got her focus back after losing the first. 

Iga from earlier this year probably would have still been thinking about the mistakes and lost opportunities. 

And would have gotten frustrated and lost.  

While I'm still concerned about her inability to close things out straightforwardly, it's definitely something that will come with more match play.

I'm taking a lot of positives from this one and treating this match as McNally playing Iga into some form. 

After all last time they played 3 sets against each other Iga won Wimbledon.

Next match should be a lot easier in terms of comfort.

Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek withdraws mid match in Madrid due to illness

Tough scenes for Iga, truly rotten luck to get food poisoning (there was also talk of a circulating virus in Madrid). 

But the culprit for many seems to have been bad shrimp at a particular restaurant. 

Sad part is it's not the first time this happened in Madrid. Seems food quality at this tournament isn't the best.

This was only Iga's 3rd retirement in a match, not bad when you consider how many she has already played in her young career. 

Clearly Iga was feeling good on court and wanted more from this tournament, but the illness didn't allow her to do so thus the emotional photos.

Really proud of Iga for fighting and taking it to 3 despite feeling very clearly ill.

Hopefully she feels better in a few days and can start fresh in one of her fave places at the Foro Italico in Rome (where she is a 3 time champion). 

Hopefully she'll get a decent draw.

Keep your head up champ, you'll comeback stronger!.

Onward to Rome.

 

Iga Swiatek starts off Madrid with an opening win

Two of the Mutua Madrid Open's 2025 semifinalists got their 2026 campaigns under way on Thursday, with contrasting results. No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek, the 2024 champion, enjoyed a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over qualifier Daria Snigur in just 61 minutes. However, No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina fell 6-3, 6-4 to Hungary's Anna Bondar

Just 24 hours earlier, Snigur had pulled off one of the wildest wins of the tournament to date, ousting Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(13) in the sixth-longest third-set regular tiebreak of the century so far. But the Ukrainian, competing in the first clay-court WTA main draw of her career, was unable to impose her flat hitting on Swiatek.

Consecutive double faults in Snigur's opening service game led to an immediate break, and set the tone for the rest of the match. Swiatek landed 16 winners to Snigur's seven, while the latter was undone by 22 unforced errors. A slow start to the second set resulted in the Pole trailing 2-0, but she quickly righted the ship to concede just seven more points in the next six games.

Swiatek's third-round opponent will be No. 31 seed Ann Li, who defeated qualifier and American compatriot Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3.

wtatennis.com

Hard to judge Iga's level in this one given her opponent didn't put up much resistance. Facing Ann Li could prove more of a challenge and make for a more interesting match.

But a simple start like this is always good in the early rounds of any tournament.

Iga Swiatek falls short in another quarterfinal in Stuttgart

Lot's of positives to take away for Iga despite another quarterfianl loss. 

Improvement was evident, solid from the baseline, more patience building points and more positive body language during unforced errors. 

Serve is still a work in progress (and it really broke down in the 3rd) but that's to be expected with her tweaking it and changing the motion. 

But overall game looking much more solid, things are trending in the right direction with time things will start to click. It's definitely the best I've seen her play this year thus far.

As Iga herself has mentioned things won't happen over night, even specifically pointed out in the most match interview that she is a player who needs matches and wins in order for her game to flow (very much like her idol Rafa). 

Confidence will be the big thing when facing the top 10. 

Right now she doesn't have that so it's hard to trust anything with her game especially on serve. 

I will always wonder had she gone up 3-0 in the 3rd would the match have turned out different. Certainly would have helped the confidence factor. 

So will winning a match from a set up again, same goes for the quarterfinal curse. If she could break through to one final before Roland Garros it'd do a world of good. 

And I think the best chance for that will be Rome. I don't hold much hope for Madrid due to the altitude, but hopefully she can win a few matches just to build on things. 

It'll be interesting if outside clay conditions will help her out more vs the indoor clay. 

Better quality clay coupled with outdoor conditions might just make her feel more sure of her movement and allow her to actually slide instead of tripping and falling as she did in Stuttgart (twice).

While this was another disappointing loss I'm also taking under account Mirra Andreeva's confidence having just won a title in Linz on indoor clay the week prior. 

Hard to win a match when your opponent has confidence in their serve to win them free points while you're fighting for every point with 2nd serves. 

Had she won Iga would have gone back to #3. But ranking will only matter when the wins come, till then we wait and see. 

But I feel encouraged with the new coach, he's trying to make visable technical changes and I think with time Iga will be able to implement them better and it'll start paying off in matches.

On to Madrid we go.

Jazda Iga trust the process.  

Iga Swiatek starts clay season with new raquet and a win in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek arrived in Stuttgart with a 103-15 career record and 10 titles on clay, fueling anticipation for the former World No. 1’s return to the surface Wednesday against local favorite Laura Siegemund.

After beating Siegemund 6-2, 6-3 in 1 hour and 30 minutes, she made it a successful start to both clay season and her partnership with new coach Francisco Roig, improving to 104-15 on the surface and to 1-0 with Roig to open their collaboration on solid footing.

“Even though I’m an experienced player, it’s still a new thing for me,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview. “I haven’t changed coaches often in my career, but I feel it’s always exciting because you get to know different points of view from a person that is supposed to be with you every day on the court.

“So I think you need to be open-minded and try to soak in this new approach. And I feel like with Francisco, we have a similar view in terms of how I should play. The other thing is actually doing it on court. So this will, I think, take a little bit more time, but the idea is there, the attitude and work are there, so I’m happy to start this process.”

With the win, the two-time Stuttgart champion is through to her fourth quarterfinal of the season, where she will face the winner of the second-round match between No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva and Alycia Parks. She’ll be looking to reach her first semifinal of the year and snap a streak of four straight quarterfinal losses dating back to Wuhan last fall.

For now, she can take positives from an opening-match win at what has long been one of her most successful tournaments.

“I’m really happy to be back on clay, especially here,” Swiatek said. “I love playing here, so it’s really nice to be back. It wasn’t the easiest match because Laura wants to change the rhythm a lot, so it wasn’t like the practices. It was the opposite, with a lot of drop shots and slices that you need to adjust to. So I’m happy that I did well and kept focused on my tasks.”

That big-picture approach guided Swiatek through a match that was, at times, less straightforward than the scoreline suggests.

The World No. 4 started fast, holding to love and then firing a backhand winner to break for 2-0. She won 12 of the first 15 points to build a 3-0 lead.

Siegemund briefly flipped the set with a love hold and a break to get back on serve at 3-2. But Swiatek, who needed three break points to secure her first break, followed the same recipe in the next game, converting her third chance with a forehand winner to regain control at 4-2.

It was the first of three straight games she won, closing the set with another backhand winner to secure a third break.

After five consecutive holds to open the second set, Swiatek again struck first, breaking to love for a 4-2 lead. Siegemund again responded with a break of her own for 4-3, but the German’s rally was short-lived as Swiatek won the final two games to finish the match.

It was far from a perfect performance -- seven double faults, 27 unforced errors and landing just over 50% of her first serves -- but there were positives as well. She broke Siegemund five times, hit 22 winners and won 78% of her first-serve points.

She’ll look to carry those positives into her next match against either Andreeva or Parks. She is 1-2 against Andreeva, having lost both meetings last year in Dubai and Indian Wells, and has yet to face Parks.

 wtatennis.com

Not a bad start from Iga considering the longer break, switching coaches and changing the motion on her serve. As well as her first match on the clay.

Very much a work in progress. 

I don't put much stock on the indoor clay tournaments, because the conditions of both Madrid (with it's altitude) and Rome both being out door are completely different. 

But making it past the quarterfinal  here maybe even a final would be a great confidence booster for Iga regardless. 

Won't be easy with Andreeva and possibly Rybakina in the semis, but what better way to see where you are with your progress then testing yourself against those 2. 

Madrid and especially Rome will be the real litmus test before Roland Garros. 

Step by step, it's just really great seeing Iga back on clay again and looking happy..

Jazda!