Following a nationwide power outage that had halted play the previous day, Iga Swiatek returned to the court at the Mutua Madrid Open. The world No. 2 secured her spot in the quarterfinals, but only after a challenging encounter.
Swiatek, the defending champion, defeated 13th seed Diana Shnaider with a final score of 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4. The match lasted 2 hours and 34 minutes. After a dominant first set that took just 22 minutes, Swiatek faced significant resistance, needing to save 11 out of 13 break points throughout the contest.
This victory ensures Swiatek maintains her perfect record of reaching at least the quarterfinals in all seven tournaments she has played this year. Her next opponent in the final eight will be Australian Open champion and No. 5 seed Madison Keys, who advanced by defeating Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3. Swiatek holds a 4-2 head-to-head advantage over Keys, including an unblemished 3-0 record on clay.
For Swiatek, a four-time Roland Garros winner, this marks her 17th consecutive quarterfinal appearance on clay courts. This remarkable streak is the longest recorded since Martina Hingis reached 19 straight clay-court quarterfinals between 1997 and 2002.
