World No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland is closer to her first title this year after a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the Miami Open Round of 16.
Swiatek spent 2 hours and 5 minutes overcoming former World No. 3 Svitolina, finalizing the quarterfinal lineup at the WTA 1000 event after midnight on Tuesday morning.
Fast facts: Swiatek is aiming for her second Miami Open title, having won in 2022 to achieve the Sunshine Double. Only Stefanie Graf (twice), Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka have also completed this Sunshine Double.
Despite being titleless in 2025, Swiatek leads the tour in main-draw match wins this year. Her victory against Svitolina marks her 21st win of the season, surpassing Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka`s 20 wins.
Swiatek`s record against Ukrainian players at Hologic WTA Tour events is now 13-1. Her sole loss to a Ukrainian player was against Svitolina at the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Match moments: Swiatek had a break advantage three times in the first set, but Svitolina broke back each time, leading to a tiebreak.
Svitolina rallied from 3-0 down in the tiebreak, but Swiatek`s strong forehands kept her ahead. Swiatek secured her first set point at 6-5 with a backhand winner and won the set after 62 minutes with a forehand winner.
In the second set, Swiatek missed three break points for a 5-1 lead, and Svitolina leveled at 4-3. However, Swiatek broke again in a tough 5-3 game and secured the victory. Swiatek hit 34 winners compared to Svitolina`s 22.
Wild card awaits: Swiatek`s quarterfinal opponent is 19-year-old wild card Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
Eala reached her first Hologic WTA Tour quarterfinal due to a walkover after No. 10 seed Paula Badosa withdrew with a lower back injury.
World No. 140 Eala, despite the walkover, is a formidable opponent. Before Miami, she was 0-4 against Top 40 players but achieved a significant win over No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko in the second round and an even greater victory against No. 5 Madison Keys in the third round.
Eala is the first Filipina woman in the Open Era to defeat Grand Slam singles champions at a WTA Tour event and will now face major champion Swiatek.
More updates to follow…
Rupert Caldwell