No.1 seed Iga Swiatek stormed into her second Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Sara Sorribes Tormo, the last home player remaining in the draw. The Pole won the last 12 games of the match, and dropped just five points in the second set.
A runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek is bidding for a first title at the only clay-court tournament at WTA 1000 level or above that she has yet to win. The Pole improved to 4-0 overall against Sorribes Tormo in their first meeting on clay, and advances to her fifth quarterfinal of 2024.
Swiatek will next face No.11 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who also preserved an unbeaten record to reach her second quarterfinal of the season. The 27-year-old is now 4-0 overall against Maria Sakkari after defeating the No.5 seed 6-4, 6-4, her 11th career Top 10 win and second of 2024.
Here are the key takeaways from Swiatek's dominant win.
Swiatek's match management is second to none: As her run of 12 games and resultant one-sided scoreline suggest, Swiatek was rarely troubled on the scoreboard. But she still had to adjust to different challenges as the match progressed.
In previous rounds, Sorribes Tormo had proved a real problem for two former Top 3 players, ousting Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka through indefatigable defense and shotmaking on the run. Swiatek made an impatient start, dropping serve in the opening game thanks to a double fault and three cheap forehand errors. But she was quick not to let that set the tone. Instead, she brought in her margins and used her raw pace to elicit rare errors from the Sorribes Tormo racquet.
The last two games of the first set were the tightest, and featured the best points of the contest as Sorribes Tormo successfully extended rallies and brought her lobs and drop shots into play. Swiatek was unrattled, winning her share of long exchanges and demonstrating the point construction she needed to stay a step ahead of the World No.55.
Thereafter, Swiatek rolled, flashing her forehand and slamming home drive volleys to sweep through the second set.
Swiatek has the opportunity to take control of another head-to-head: Back in 2022, Swiatek lost her first career meeting with Haddad Maia in the Toronto third round, a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 heartbreaker that the Brazilian used as a springboard to reach her first WTA 1000 final.
Swiatek got her revenge in last year's Roland Garros semifinals, but had to battle hard for it, saving one set point in the second set before scraping through 6-2, 7-6(7). But their third meeting in this year's United Cup was rather more straightforward: a 6-2, 6-2 rout for Swiatek.
Haddad Maia's first quarter of the season did not live up to her usual standards. Coming into Madrid, her record was a negative one with 10 wins to 11 losses. But three quality wins this fortnight over Sara Errani, Emma Navarro and Sakkari indicate that Haddad Maia has belatedly found her groove on clay.
"The biggest thing I remember is it was really tight in the first set," said Swiatek of their Roland Garris tilt. "The tiebreak was stressful. I remember the crowd also being crazy, because Brazilian crowd is taking all these instruments with them and making small music festival on the audience. So it was for sure different experience, a good one but tough to handle. It was a really intense match. I wouldn't expect an easy match against Bia, for sure."
