Swiatek battles past Shnaider to reach Madrid Open quarter finals

MADRID: Defending champion Iga Swiatek overcame a spirited challenge from Russia’s Diana Shnaider to book her spot in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open with a hard-fought 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4 victory on Tuesday.

World No. 2 Swiatek appeared in complete control early on, breezing through the opening set in just 22 minutes with her trademark consistency and powerful shot-making.

However, Shnaider, ranked outside the top 20, showcased remarkable resilience, pushing the match into a third set with a gritty comeback in the second.

Despite some inconsistency on her second serve—winning just 68 percent of those points—Swiatek regained composure in the deciding set.

A single break proved decisive, and the Polish star closed out the match after two hours and 17 minutes of fluctuating momentum and intense rallies.

“Today for sure was a tricky day and I’m happy to be through,” Swiatek said in her post-match interview.

“Diana played well and I’m happy I found a way. When it’s getting hotter, you need to control the ball a little more, but I adjusted and I’m happy I have another chance to play here,” she added.

The match was played under blustery conditions and followed a brief power outage that had earlier affected much of Spain. Swiatek appeared unfazed at the start, delivering a bagel to Shnaider in the first set.

Yet the 19-year-old Russian responded with determination, using her power to push the second set to a tiebreak. Shnaider raced to a 5-1 lead in the breaker and held on to level the match.

Swiatek will next face the winner of the round-of-16 clash between fifth-seeded American Madison Keys and Croatia’s 19th seed Donna Vekic.

The Madrid Open continues to test the mettle of its top seeds, and Tuesday’s match was a testament to the fact that even the world’s best must dig deep to stay in contention.