World No. 2 Iga Swiatek commented on her victory over Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the Madrid tournament, where she triumphed with a score of 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The Polish player secured her 49th career win against a Top 10 opponent, alongside 20 losses. Since 1990, her 71.0% win rate against Top 10 players ranks second in WTA history among players with a minimum of 10 such matches. Swiatek has now surpassed Serena Williams (70.9%) and is trailing only Steffi Graf (75%).
Speaking about the match, Swiatek said in her on-court interview:
“Honestly, this was one of the weirdest matches in my career. The first set didn`t feel *that* bad. I was feeling the ball well, but it was flying too long. I tried to play shorter, and with a few errors from Maddy in the end, I managed to turn the match around. I`m happy that I managed it.”
Regarding the experience of being bagelled herself, Swiatek was asked:
Q: You`ve handed out bagels yourself many times. What`s it like to be on the other side?
A: Well… it`s not very pleasant. The only positive is that it ends quickly. But losing 0-6 and continuing to play after that is a strange feeling.
Marcus Prine