Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek had to pull out of her third-round match at the Madrid Open on Saturday because of a viral infection. Meanwhile, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her unbeaten streak to 14 victories.
Swiatek, who won the event in 2024, fought back from losing the first set against American 31st seed Ann Li to tie the match. However, she stopped playing while trailing 0-3 in the deciding set. The six-time Grand Slam winner called for medical assistance after an early break in the third set and had her condition evaluated.
She attempted to regain the break but, after Li extended her lead to 3-0, Swiatek decided she could not go on.
Post-match, she explained that she had been dealing with a stomach virus for two days and had hoped to push through despite feeling unwell.
“I’ve heard there’s a virus circulating among the players on site. I expect to recover soon, but I had no energy, no balance, and felt physically awful—worse yesterday,” Swiatek stated.
This marks her quickest departure in five participations at the Madrid tournament.
“Before the event, I felt strong on the court, so it’s disappointing not to compete. My game was progressing well, which was encouraging, but the tournament ended early for me without a real chance to play,” she added.
In contrast, Sabalenka advanced to the round of 16 with a straightforward 6-1, 6-4 win over Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian. At the net, Cristian complimented her opponent as “too strong” and wished her success in claiming the title.
Sabalenka dominated the first set, securing 89 percent of her service points.
Cristian resisted more in the second set, but Sabalenka secured a key break in the ninth game to seal the victory.
The three-time Madrid winner, set to face either former world number one Naomi Osaka or Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina next, displayed her powerful style along with skillful plays, including a running one-handed backhand pass in the first set and a precise drop shot to close the match.
“The first set was at an outstanding level from me. I even executed a one-handed backhand, which felt wild,” said the four-time major champion. “That might be the best shot I’ve ever hit.”
Earlier, 15th seed Iva Jovic lost a lead and fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Canadian 24th seed Leylah Fernandez, who will meet Li in the round of 16.
Ninth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva defeated an determined Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-2, though the contest was tighter than the scores indicate.
The 117th-ranked Hungarian qualifier gained early breaks in both sets but could not hold on, as Andreeva improved her clay-court record this season to 9-1. She will next play fellow Hungarian Anna Bondar in the round of 16.
On the men’s side, defending champion Casper Ruud advanced to the third round with a 6-0, 6-1 rout of local player Jaume Munar.
The 12th-seeded Norwegian will face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina next.
Second seed Alexander Zverev overcame a poor second set to win his opening match 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 against recent Bucharest winner Mariano Navone.
“The first set was nearly flawless, then I lost concentration entirely, and the second set was poor,” Zverev admitted, a past Madrid champion in 2018 and 2021.
“It can happen in a first match. I need better focus, but my overall play was solid.”
Zverev’s next opponent is Terence Atmane, who battled through severe cramps to win an all-French tiebreaker contest 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) against 30th seed Ugo Humbert.
