Iga Swiatek was left in tears after requiring medical attention to have her vital signs assessed before withdrawing from her second-round match at the Madrid Open. The 24-year-old Pole was facing American Ann Li in the round of 32 in the Spanish capital.
Match Details
Li claimed the opening set in a tight tiebreak, but Swiatek displayed some of her finest form in the second set, convincingly winning it 6-2. However, she battled against the scorching heat in Madrid and rapidly fell a break behind in the third set. Swiatek was spotted sitting courtside with her head buried in her hands, visibly suffering in the sweltering conditions. A medic attended to her and monitored her temperature and vital signs.
Ultimately, Swiatek determined she was unable to continue and withdrew with a final scoreline of 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 0-3. Upon making her decision, the fourth seed was seen in tears as she departed the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.
Clay Season Struggles
Swiatek's clay season has got off to a rocky start. She took part in the indoor clay tournament at the Stuttgart Open but fell at the quarter-final stage. She breezed past Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-3 in her opening match before suffering defeat to Mirra Andreeva. Swiatek claimed the first set 6-3, but the young Russian then took the upper hand, winning the following two sets 6-4, 6-3 to book her place in the semi-finals.
Stuttgart and Madrid have hardly provided ideal preparation for the Wimbledon champion. Last year, she reached the semi-final at the Madrid Open, only to be thrashed 6-1, 6-1 by Coco Gauff. Things went from bad to worse at the Italian Open, where Danielle Collins dispatched her convincingly 6-1, 7-5. She did manage to reserve her finest tennis for the French Open, progressing all the way to the semi-final before falling to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6, 4-6, 6-0.
It is a significant setback for Swiatek, who appeared so commanding in her opening match. She dominated Ukrainian player Daria Snigur, defeating her 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. Following her win, she posted on Instagram: "Happy to be in the third round. It's always such a pleasure to compete at the Madrid Open. Hasta luego [see you later]."
