Iga Swiatek is usually the player giving out bagel sets on the Tour but at the Madrid Open on Wednesday, she received them.
The world No.2 lost the opener in less than 30 minutes against Madison Keys before battling back to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-2. Coming into the match, Swiatek hadn’t lost a set without winning a game since the 2021 Eastbourne International where she was bagelled by Daria Kasatkina.
“Well.. not good,” Swiatek said about the start of her match during her on-court interview. “At least it’s fast, you know. That’s the only positive thing. But staying on a court and having 0-6… it’s weird.”
Despite the lackluster start, Swiatek soon found her footing on the court by breaking Keys in four out of her last eight service games. The American’s error count also increased during the second and third sets. According to OptaAce, it is the first time since 1992 that a top-five opponent has been defeated after they claimed the first set 6-0 at a clay court event since 1992.
“She played great but I was there to use my chances, and that’s what I’m happy about,” Swiatek commented.
“In the first set, I just didn’t make many balls in. So when I just started getting some in I also gave her more chances to make some mistakes.
“When I felt like I could finally start playing, I did what I wanted to do from the beginning.
“The tactics didn’t change, I just wasn’t able to play in the first set.
It is the third time at this year’s Madrid Open that the 23-year-old has been pushed to three sets. She was also done so in the second round by Alexandra Eala and then in the fourth round by Diana Shnaider.
Another player who knows what is like to drop the opening set 0-6 is Coco Gauff who did during her first match in Madrid. The former US Open champion will take on Swiatek in their semi-finals in what will be their 15th Tour-level meeting. Swiatek leads their head-to-head 11-3 but has lost their two most recent meetings.
Asked how she has managed to turn the tides in her rivalry with the Pole, Gauff explains her mentality is key.
“I think it’s just belief. In the beginning of our matchups, she was a top player and I felt like I maybe kind of wrote myself off before the match even came. Now obviously I have a lot of belief.” Gauff said.
“She’s a tough opponent and I don’t think about that head-to-head anymore. Maybe at the beginning, I did. Now I just treat it as a new match, a new opportunity each time.
“I’ll go out there with confidence and I believe that I have the game that I can win the match.”
It is the first time this season that Gauff has reached the last four of a tournament.
