World No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland is closer to her first title this year after winning against No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the Miami Open. The match was in the Round of 16 and Swiatek won 7-6(5), 6-3.
It took Swiatek 2 hours and 5 minutes to defeat Svitolina, who used to be ranked No. 3 in the world. This win puts Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Miami, with the match ending just after midnight on Tuesday.
Key Facts: Swiatek is aiming for her second Miami Open title, having won in 2022 as part of the Sunshine Double (winning both Indian Wells and Miami in the same year). Only Stefanie Graf, Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka have also achieved the Sunshine Double.
Despite not winning a title in 2025 yet, Swiatek leads the tour in match wins this year. Her victory against Svitolina was her 21st of the season, surpassing Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka, who both have 20 wins.
Swiatek`s record against Ukrainian players in WTA events is now 13 wins and 1 loss. Her only loss to a Ukrainian player at this level was against Svitolina at Wimbledon in 2023 quarterfinals.
Match Highlights: In the first set, Swiatek was ahead by a break three times, but Svitolina immediately broke back each time, leading to a tiebreak.
Svitolina came back from 3-0 down in the tiebreak, but Swiatek`s strong forehands helped her regain control. Swiatek got her first set point at 6-5 with a backhand winner and won the set after 62 minutes with a forehand winner.
In the second set, Swiatek had three chances to break and lead 5-1, but Svitolina saved them and got back on serve at 4-3. However, Swiatek broke again in a tough game to lead 5-3 and then won the match. Swiatek hit 34 winners compared to Svitolina`s 22.
Next Match: Swiatek will now play against 19-year-old Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in the quarterfinals. Eala entered the tournament as a wild card.
Eala reached her first WTA quarterfinal because her opponent in the fourth round, No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, withdrew due to a back injury.
Even though Eala received a walkover, she is a strong opponent. Ranked No. 140, Eala had not won against a Top 40 player before Miami, but she defeated No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko in the second round and No. 5 Madison Keys in the third round.
With these wins, Eala became the first Filipina woman in the Open Era to beat Grand Slam singles champions at a WTA event. Now, she will play against Swiatek, who has won five major titles.
More updates to follow…
