World No. 2 Iga Swiatek achieved a remarkable milestone, reaching the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament for the 25th time in a row. This record was set with her victory over No. 27 seed Elise Mertens at the Miami Open, where she won 7-6(2), 6-1.
Swiatek`s consistency at this level is unmatched. Her last defeat before the last 16 in a WTA 1000 event was at Cincinnati in 2021. Maria Sharapova holds the second-longest streak with 18 consecutive last-16 appearances between 2011 and 2013.
Despite the straight-sets scoreline, the match wasn`t entirely smooth for Swiatek. After leading 5-2 in the first set, Mertens fought back to level at 5-5. Mertens, a recent champion in Singapore, challenged Swiatek, but the Polish player regained control, winning the tiebreak decisively and dominating the second set.
Swiatek mentioned her serve as a key area for improvement in this match. In the first set, she won only 43% of points on her second serve, allowing Mertens to attack. However, she adjusted in the second set, increasing her first-serve percentage to 79% and limiting Mertens` opportunities.
“My serve wasn`t perfect in the first set,” Swiatek acknowledged in her post-match interview. “I`m happy I stayed patient and worked through it, and I felt much better in the second set.”
Looking ahead, Swiatek will compete for a spot in the Miami quarterfinals against No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina. Svitolina defeated No. 15 seed Karolina Muchova in three sets to reach this stage. Svitolina has a 3-0 record against Muchova. Swiatek holds a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Svitolina, including a win in their only hard-court encounter in Dubai last year.
The upcoming match between Swiatek and Svitolina promises to be an exciting contest as both players aim for a deep run in the Miami Open.
