Iga Swiatek’s remarkable form continued as she stormed through to the third round of the Madrid Open. The world number one made light work of her second-round match against Julia Grabher, winning in straight sets and dropping only five games.
Swiatek’s last appearance in the tournament came in 2021 after missing last year due to a shoulder injury, but she has returned with a bang and looks set to go all the way. Her next opponent will be Bernarda Pera, who secured a place in the third round with a convincing 6-1 6-3 victory over Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
Pera will have her work cut out against Swiatek, who is currently on a five-match winning streak on clay. However, anything can happen in tennis, and Pera will be hoping to cause an upset and progress to the next round.
Elsewhere, Anna Kalinskaya pulled off a shock win over the Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, in a grueling three-set match. Kalinskaya took the third set to secure a 7-5 4-6 6-2 victory and progress to the next round, where she will face Petra Martic.
The upset will be a disappointment for Rybakina, who has had an impressive year so far, winning the Indian Wells title and reaching the final of the Miami Open. Number three seed Jessica Pegula also got off to a winning start, defeating Polish qualifier Magdalena Frech in straight sets.
Pegula secured a 7-6 (5) 6-3 victory to book her place in the next round. With Swiatek, Pera, Kalinskaya, and Pegula all progressing, the Madrid Open is shaping up to be an exciting tournament with plenty of twists and turns yet to come.
