World No. 2 Iga Swiatek continued her impressive run at the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday evening, defeating Czech opponent Linda Noskova, ranked No. 31, with a score of 6-4, 6-2. This victory marks Swiatek`s eighth consecutive match win in Madrid, earning her a spot in the tournament`s Round of 16. The defending champion and 2023 finalist now holds a strong 15-2 career record at the event.
Swiatek`s journey through the opening rounds has featured challenging encounters against young competitors who have troubled her recently. Following a first-round bye, she needed three sets to overcome 19-year-old Alexandra Eala, who had previously knocked Swiatek out of last month`s Miami Open. Her third-round opponent, 20-year-old Linda Noskova, also holds a notable victory over Swiatek, having defeated her at the 2024 Australian Open en route to reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
While Swiatek had won their two subsequent WTA main-draw meetings in Miami and Doha, these matches were hard-fought battles, each lasting about two and a half hours and decided by close 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 scores in Swiatek`s favor.
A significant difference in their latest Madrid clash was the playing surface – clay. Swiatek has a dominant record on clay courts at WTA 1000 events, winning nearly 90 percent of her matches (35-4 after this win). Although Noskova put up a fight in the first set, keeping it tight until the end, Swiatek proved more effective on crucial points to secure the advantage before easing through the second set for the win.
During Saturday`s match, Noskova frequently employed the powerful groundstrokes that have challenged Swiatek in their previous encounters. In the first set, Swiatek managed to break Noskova to take a 4-3 lead and successfully defended a break point in the following game to consolidate. Serving at 5-3, Swiatek overcame a 0-30 deficit to earn set points. Despite Noskova saving the first two with backhand winners, Swiatek converted her third opportunity after forcing an error from the Czech player, clinching the first set 6-4.
The second set became notably more straightforward after Swiatek secured a break in the very first game. Swiatek maintained control for the remainder of the match, finishing the victory in 1 hour and 17 minutes. She was clinical on break points throughout the contest, converting all four opportunities she had.
Looking ahead to the Round of 16, Swiatek will face No. 13 seed Diana Shnaider. Shnaider has been in exceptional form this week, dropping very few games in her matches. After a first-round bye, she defeated Katie Volynets 6-1, 6-2, followed by a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Anastasija Sevastova.
The upcoming match will mark the first career meeting between Iga Swiatek and the 21-year-old left-handed Shnaider.
