World No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland progressed closer to securing her first title this year by winning a challenging match against No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Swiatek defeated Svitolina 7-6(5), 6-3 in the Round of 16 at the Miami Open.
The match lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes, with Swiatek battling past former World No. 3 Svitolina. This victory secured her place in the quarterfinal lineup at this year`s fourth WTA 1000 event, with the match concluding just after midnight on Tuesday morning.
Key Facts: Swiatek remains in contention for her second Miami Open title. She previously won the event in 2022, achieving the Sunshine Double (winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same year). Only Stefanie Graf (twice), Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka have also accomplished the Sunshine Double.
Despite not yet winning a title in 2025, Swiatek leads the tour in main-draw match wins this year. Her victory over Svitolina marked her 21st win of the season, surpassing Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka, who each have 20 victories.
Swiatek`s record against Ukrainian players at Hologic WTA Tour events is now 13-1. Her only loss to a Ukrainian player at this level was against Svitolina in the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Match Highlights: In the first set, Swiatek gained a break advantage three times, but Svitolina immediately broke back each time, leading to a tiebreak.
Svitolina rallied from 3-0 down in the tiebreak, but Swiatek`s powerful forehands helped her regain control. Swiatek earned her first set point at 6-5 with a crosscourt backhand winner and secured the set after 62 minutes with a final forehand winner.
In the second set, Swiatek had three break points to potentially lead 5-1, but Svitolina saved them and managed to break back, narrowing the score to 4-3. However, Swiatek broke again in the subsequent game and confidently closed out the match. Swiatek concluded the match with 34 winners compared to Svitolina`s 22.
Upcoming Match: Swiatek`s quarterfinal opponent will be a surprising one: 19-year-old wild card entrant Alexandra Eala from the Philippines.
Eala reached her first Hologic WTA Tour quarterfinal because her fourth-round opponent, No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, withdrew due to a lower back injury.
Despite receiving a walkover, World No. 140 Eala is a formidable opponent. Prior to Miami, Eala`s record against Top 40 players was 0-4. However, in Miami, she achieved a significant victory over No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko in the second round and an even more impressive win against No. 5 Madison Keys in the third round.
These wins made Eala the first Filipina woman in the Open Era to defeat Grand Slam singles champions at a WTA Tour event. Now, she is set to play against another Grand Slam champion in five-time major winner Swiatek.
More updates to follow…
