World No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland is one step closer to her first title this year after a challenging victory against No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the Miami Open. Swiatek won their Round of 16 match with scores of 7-6(5), 6-3.
The match lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes, with Swiatek overcoming former World No. 3 Svitolina. This win finalizes the quarterfinal lineup at this year`s WTA 1000 event, concluding just after midnight on Tuesday morning.
Key Facts: Swiatek remains in contention for her second Miami Open title, having previously won in 2022 as part of the Sunshine Double. Only Stefanie Graf (twice), Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka have achieved the Sunshine Double.
Despite not yet winning a title in 2025, Swiatek leads the tour in main-draw match wins this year. Her victory over Svitolina marked her 21st win of the season, surpassing Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka, who each have 20 wins.
Swiatek`s record against Ukrainian players in Hologic WTA Tour events is now 13-1. Her only loss to a Ukrainian player at this level was against Svitolina in the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Match Highlights: In the first set, Swiatek gained a break advantage three times, but Svitolina responded each time by breaking back in the following game, leading to a tiebreak.
Svitolina rallied from 3-0 down in the tiebreak, but Swiatek`s powerful forehands helped her regain control. Swiatek secured her first set point at 6-5 with a crosscourt backhand winner and clinched the set after 62 minutes with another forehand winner.
In the second set, Swiatek had three break points to potentially lead 5-1, but Svitolina saved them and managed to break back, narrowing the score to 4-3. However, Swiatek broke again in a demanding game at 5-3 and proceeded to win the match. Swiatek concluded the match with 34 winners compared to Svitolina`s 22.
Upcoming Match: Swiatek`s quarterfinal opponent will be an unexpected one: 19-year-old wild card Alexandra Eala from the Philippines.
Eala reached her first Hologic WTA Tour quarterfinal because her fourth-round opponent, No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, withdrew due to a lower back injury.
Despite receiving a walkover, World No. 140 Eala is a formidable opponent. Before Miami, Eala was 0-4 against Top 40 players but achieved a significant victory over No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko in the second round and an even more impressive win against No. 5 Madison Keys in the third round.
These wins made Eala the first Filipina woman in the Open Era to defeat Grand Slam singles champions at a WTA Tour event. Now, she is set to play against another Grand Slam champion, five-time major winner Swiatek.
More updates to follow…
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth