Following a nationwide power outage that had suspended fourth-round play at the Mutua Madrid Open the previous day, Iga Swiatek resumed her campaign. However, her path to the quarterfinals was anything but straightforward, as she faced a significant challenge.
The second seed, defending champion, secured her spot by defeating the 13th seed, Diana Shnaider, in a demanding match lasting 2 hours and 34 minutes, with a final score of 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4. Despite a dominant 22-minute first set won 6-0, Swiatek encountered strong resistance, needing to save 11 of the 13 break points she faced throughout the encounter.
Swiatek maintains her impressive record of reaching at least the quarterfinals in all seven tournaments played this year. However, she hasn`t advanced beyond the semifinals since last year`s Roland Garros. Her next opponent in the quarterfinals will be Australian Open champion and fifth seed Madison Keys, who won her fourth-round match against 19th seed Donna Vekic with a 6-2, 6-3 scoreline. This will be their first encounter since the Australian Open semifinals where Keys notably defeated Swiatek after saving a match point. Swiatek still leads their overall head-to-head record 4-2, including a perfect 3-0 record against Keys on clay, all won in straight sets.
As a four-time Roland Garros champion, Swiatek has now extended her remarkable streak to 17 consecutive clay-court quarterfinals. This run began after her third-round exit to Ashleigh Barty at the Madrid Open in 2021. This achievement marks the longest such streak in women`s tennis since Martina Hingis reached 19 consecutive clay-court quarterfinals between 1997 and 2002.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth