Iga Swiatek was forced to retire from her Madrid Open clash with Ann Li on Saturday due to illness, sending the American 31st seed into the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament.
A champion in the Spanish capital in 2024, Swiatek rebounded from a set down to level the contest but ended her campaign while trailing 0-3 in the decider.
The Polish six-time Grand Slam champion appeared to be struggling and asked for the doctor after being broken early in the third set.
Following a conversation with the trainers, Swiatek tried to break Li back but, when her opponent held for a 3-0 lead, the fourth seed realised she was unable to continue.
It is Swiatek’s earliest exit in five appearances in Madrid.
Earlier in the day, 15th seed Iva Jovic squandered a lead and fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Canada’s 24th seed Leylah Fernandez, who will face Li in the last 16.
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Ninth seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia overcame an inspired Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-2 in a match that was much closer than the scoreline suggested.
The Hungarian qualifier, ranked 117 in the world, broke early in both sets but was unable to maintain her advantage as Andreeva recovered to improve her clay-court record this season to 9-1 and set up a last-16 meeting with another Hungarian, Anna Bondar.
In ATP action, defending champion Casper Ruud raced into the third round with a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of home favourite Jaume Munar in just 65 minutes.
The 12th seed leads the ATP Tour in clay-court wins (133) and titles (12) since the start of the 2020 season and is bidding to become the third man to defend the Madrid crown after Rafael Nadal (2013-14) and Carlos Alcaraz (2022-23).
Published on Apr 25, 2026