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Casper Ruud achieved a rare Masters 1000 feat previously claimed by Rafael Nadal as he sealed his spot in the last four of the Madrid Open.

Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ruud has fallen to world No 15 in the ATP Rankings after a disappointing start to his clay season, with significant points dropped in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

However, he is yet to drop a set inside the Caja Magica, and the 14th seed has now backed up a fourth-round win over third seed Taylor Fritz with a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over ninth seed Daniil Medvedev.

“Daniil and I, we play a very different game,” said Ruud on Sky Sports Tennis.

“He [Medvedev] plays much flatter than me, but he serves well and moves great. It was an interesting match and I’m very happy with the level.”

Ruud’s match on Thursday was his seventh quarter-final at a clay-court Masters 1000 event, and ultimately his seventh win.

After beating Medvedev, the former world No 2 joins an exclusive club of just three men to win his first seven Masters quarter-finals on clay since the format was introduced in 1990.

Casper Ruud – 7

Ruud is into his second semi-final at the Madrid Open, and a seventh Masters 1000 semi-final on clay thanks to Thursday’s triumph.

The Norwegian won his first clay-court Masters quarter-final at the Italian Open in 2020, defeating fourth seed Matteo Berrettini, and has gone on to win further Rome quarter-finals in 2022 and 2023.

He has also won both his quarter-final matches at the Monte Carlo Masters, reaching the last four on his tournament debut in 2021, and ultimately making the final in 2024.

Ruud beat Alexander Bublik in the last eight in Madrid back in 2021, and is now a perfect 7-0 in such quarter-finals after beating Medvedev.

Guillermo Coria – 7

A former world No 3 and one of the leading clay-courters of his era, Coria also won his first seven Masters 1000 clay-court quarter-finals.

Coria made his Monte Carlo Masters debut in 2001 and reached his first semi-final at the event, defeating Alberto Martin in his maiden clay Masters quarter-final.

The Argentine won three more Monte Carlo quarter-finals during his seven-match run, winning a last-eight match every year from 2003-05, going on to lift the title in 2004.

Coria won back-to-back Hamburg Open quarter-finals in 2003-04 and an Italian Open quarter-final in 2005, before falling to Roger Federer in the last eight in Hamburg in 2005.

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Rafael Nadal – 23

Unsurprising, Nadal is well out in front when it comes to this statistic.

The ‘King of Clay’ reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final on the surface at the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters, and would win nine straight quarter-finals at the event, lifting the title eight times.

Nadal also won eight quarter-finals at the Italian Open during his run, only failing to reach the last eight once, and also found success in both Hamburg and Madrid.

He won his two Hamburg quarter-finals before the event was downgraded, and then won his first four Madrid Open quarter-finals during his 23-match quarter-final winning streak on clay.

Nadal’s run of 23 wins from 23 clay-court Masters 1000 quarter-finals was snapped at the 2014 Monte Carlo Masters, beaten by compatriot David Ferrer in straight sets.

Read Next: The 6 Italian men to reach top 10 in ATP Rankings as Musetti joins Sinner and Berrettini

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Marta Kostyuk made a comment about Aryna Sabalenka’s sportsmanship after a controversial moment during the pair’s tense clash at the 2025 Madrid Open.

Sabalenka prevailed 7-6(4), 7-6(7) against world No 36 Kostyuk in a pulsating quarter-final encounter lasting two hours and 32 minutes.

The world No 1 saved a set point when Kostyuk served for the opening set at 5-4 and survived three more in the second set tiebreak after failing to convert a match point when serving at 6-5.

With Kostyuk leading 5-4 in the second set tiebreak, Sabalenka asked the chair umpire if play could be stopped due to rain after she missed her first serve.

After the umpire said, “I don’t think it’s that bad yet to stop. We can still play a bit”, Sabalenka returned to the baseline to hit her second serve, but refused to play after catching her ball toss.

This time, the umpire allowed the match to be paused as Sabalenka returned to her chair, which led Kostyuk to protest as this meant the Belarusian would receive a first serve when play resumed.

“She was waiting for five minutes to serve! Yeah, and then she tried to serve again — how is this possible? Why is it first serve? Why is it first serve again?” Kostyuk asked the umpire.

“But wait, she stopped by herself — nobody stopped her. It was like two minutes when she served first time and then she stopped. She could have served ten times, and she voluntarily stopped.

“It wasn’t you [who] stopped her. No, wait. First time she came [to the chair umpire], you told her she has to keep going and she stopped again by herself, again. By herself! No, but she said ‘I do not serve.’ Nobody stopped her. How is is first serve?”

During the delay, Kostyuk talked to her team courtside and could be heard saying: “She (Sabalenka) is never winning a sportsman’s award, that’s for sure.”

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LMAOOO https://t.co/PyGgRZ8IRS pic.twitter.com/xShuiP5D66

— ۟ (@904tr) April 30, 2025

When play resumed, Kostyuk won the point to take a 6-4 lead, but she was unable to convert her set points as Sabalenka held her nerve in a thrilling conclusion.

In her on-court interview, Sabalenka said: “That was a battle. Conditions were incredibly tough. It wasn’t about tennis. It was about how you handle your emotions. I’m super proud I was able to handle myself in such a difficult situation.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion also explained she stopped play because the rain was making it “impossible” to serve.

“Oh my God…! Serving while the rain was falling was impossible. I tried with the first serve, but I realised that I had to stop because the water was getting into my eyes. It was impossible,” said the 26-year-old.

“I knew I was going to double fault, and I didn’t want that to happen, so I decided that the game couldn’t continue. I’m glad I did it.”

Sabalenka will face another Ukrainian, Elina Svitolina, in the semi-finals in Madrid.

READ NEXT: The 9 women with the most WTA clay match wins: Chris Evert with 382, Steffi Graf 6th

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Lorenzo Musetti’s run to the quarter-finals of the 2025 Madrid Open has seen him clinch a significant breakthrough in the ATP Rankings.

The Italian star is yet to drop a set during his campaign at the clay-court Masters 1000 event, having claimed three decisive wins.

Musetti booked his place in the last eight in the Spanish capital with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory against world No 7 Alex de Minaur.

The 23-year-old did not face a single break point in the fourth round contest against the Australian.

In the third round, Musetti prevailed 7-5, 7-6(3) against Stefanos Tsitsipas after trailing 1-4, 15-40 in the opening set. In his opening match, he saw off Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(3), 6-2.

Musetti, who started the tournament as the world No 11, has increased his points tally by 150 points — from 3,200 to 3,350.

This has lifted Musetti up to ninth in the Live ATP Rankings, and he is guaranteed to be a top 10 player for the first time when the rankings update next week.

The only players who could overtake Musetti are Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud, who face each other in the last eight in Madrid.

The Italian’s Madrid exploits come after his outstanding run to his maiden Masters final in Monte Carlo, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz.

Following his quarter-final win against de Minaur, Musetti asserted that he has the mentality of a top 10 player.

“I’m not surprised [to be in the quarter-finals], I’m surprised with myself,” Musetti said in his on-court interview.

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“After Monte Carlo, something changed in myself, a positive click forward. That’s something I have been waiting for for a long time.

“I feel more secure on what I have to do on the court. Of course I can lose, but I have the attitude and mentality of a top 10 right now, so I’m really happy about that.”

The 23-year-old has a great opportunity to continue his ascent as he will face 78th-ranked Gabriel Diallo in the quarter-finals.

Victory against the 23-year-old Canadian would see Musetti leapfrog Holger Rune into the world No 8 spot in the Live ATP Rankings.

If Musetti were to win the title in Madrid, his points tally would surge to 4,150 — and he could climb as high as fifth position.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev slammed for ‘disastrous’ form during Jannik Sinner’s absence

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The latest showdown between Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek is set.

A rallying 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory for Swiatek over Madison Keys powered the world No 2 into the Madrid Open semi-final, where world No 4 Gauff awaits after a 7-5, 6-1 triumph against Mirra Andreeva.

It will be the 15th meeting between the two Grand Slam champions, and while Swiatek has a comfortable head-to-head lead, it would be unwise to rule Gauff out.

The American trails 3-11 in their head-to-head but has won the last two times the pair have met, beating the Pole in the 2024 WTA Finals and at the United Cup back in January.

Swiatek will be determined to regain full control of their rivalry and ultimately reach a third straight Madrid Open final, with the second seed looking to defend her title in the Caja Magica.

However, there is more than just a place in the final at stake, with this semi-final proving crucial when it comes to the WTA Rankings.

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As it stands

Coming into the tournament, Swiatek was the world No 2, comfortably ahead of world No 3 Jessica Pegula and world No 4 Gauff.

However, with 1,000 ranking points to defend as the defending champion, there was plenty of pressure on the five-time champion coming into Madrid.

In contrast, Gauff only had fourth-round points to defend while Pegula had no points to defend, having skipped the event due to injury back in 2024.

Potentially, both US stars could have moved above Swiatek in the WTA Rankings, though that possibility has now been ruled out.

Pegula was unexpectedly beaten in round three by Moyuka Uchijima and will hold 6,273 ranking points come next Monday (May 5).

And, Gauff’s quarter-final victory over Andreeva has boosted her haul of ranking points by 270, moving up to 6,343 ranking points.

That means Gauff is guaranteed to be back as the US No 1 come next Monday’s ranking update, no matter how she fares throughout the rest of the tournament.

In the live rankings, Swiatek is still dropping 610 points and falling to 6,773, though she remains as the world No 2 for now.

What does Gauff need to become world No 2?

Gauff was briefly ranked as the world No 2 last summer, and the equation for her to return to that ranking in Madrid is quite simple.

To overtake Swiatek in the rankings next week, she needs to win the title; if she does not do that, she will be the world No 3

If Gauff were to win her semi-final against Swiatek, she would hold 6,603 ranking points – though that would not be enough to overtake her rival.

However, if the American were to claim the title, she would hold 6,953 points, ahead of Swiatek’s total of 6,773 after a hypothetical semi-final loss.

Swiatek can guarantee she stays at world No 2 with victory in the semi-final.

The Pole will hold 7,033 points if she finishes the tournament as the runner-up, and 7,383 points – her current tally – if she successfully defends her title.

However, she will remain well behind world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who holds 10,333 points ahead of her quarter-final – and would hold a staggering 11,118 points if she were to win the title.

Read Next: 5 sublime Iga Swiatek stats as she reaches Madrid Open semi-finals: ft. Serena Williams & Steffi Graf

The post Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek: Huge rankings ramifications set ahead of Madrid semi-final appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek was on the receiving end of a first set bagel against Madison Keys at the 2025 Madrid Open, but she fought back to keep her title defence alive.

The world No 2 defeated Keys 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament at La Caja Magica.

Keys, the world No 5 and reigning Australian Open champion, lost only nine points in a remarkable opening set as she became the first player to bagel Swiatek on clay since 2019.

Swiatek broke Keys twice in both the second and third sets to gain revenge for her defeat to the 30-year-old American in an epic Australian Open semi-final in January.

In her on-court interview, Swiatek was asked: “You’ve been giving away a lot of bagels in the last couple of years. How did it feel to have to be on the other side for once?”

The Polish star replied: “Well, not good. At least it’s fast, you know (smiles). That’s the only positive thing. But for sure, staying on a court and having 0-6 is… I don’t know, just weird.”

The five-time Grand Slam champion will face Coco Gauff in the semi-finals in Madrid.

Here are five intriguing statistics after Swiatek’s win over Keys.

Emulating Steffi Graf with a rare feat

Swiatek is only the second player in the last 40 years to beat an opponent ranked in the top five after losing an opening set 0-6 at a WTA event on clay.

Steffi Graf is the only other woman to accomplish this, having come back to defeat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the 1992 French Open semi-finals.

Eclipsing Serena Williams’ win rate against top 10

By beating fifth-ranked Keys, Swiatek now has the second highest win percentage against top 10 opposition in WTA Tour history.

Her latest triumph has improved her record against top 10 players to an outstanding 49-20 (71%), which sees her edge above Serena Williams (70.9%). Only Graf has a better win rate against the top 10 (75%).

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20th WTA 1000 semi-final

Swiatek is into her 20th semi-final from 36 main draw appearances at WTA 1000 tournaments.

Serena Williams is the only woman to reach the last four at this category of event 20 times from fewer tournaments (31).

Superb Madrid Open record

The 23-year-old has taken her winning streak at the Madrid Open to 10 matches and improved her record at the tournament to 17-2 (89.5%).

WTA 1000 clay streak

The four-time French Open winner has now won 16 consecutive matches at WTA 1000 level on clay, a run that includes her triumphs in Madrid and Rome last year.

READ NEXT: Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic hit by the same problem – and it will be hard to correct

The post 5 sublime Iga Swiatek stats as she reaches Madrid Open semi-finals: ft. Serena Williams & Steffi Graf appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic has lost his last three matches on the ATP Tour, with former British No 1 Annabel Croft questioning whether there is a hidden reason for his slump in form.

Djokovic produced some of his best tennis of the year as he reached the Miami Open final, but a loss against Jakub Mensik in the final of that tournament was backed up by a horrible defeat against Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo and a straight-sets loss against Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid.

His latest loss inspired a deflated reaction from Djokovic and confirmation that he will not be playing at the Italian Open in Rome for the first time since 2009.

“After you lose a match, you don’t feel good, but I’ve had a few of these this year where I lose in the first round, unfortunately,” said Djokovic in Madrid.

“Kind of new reality for me, I have to say. You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.

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“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face this kind of sensation on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments.

“I guess, the circle of life and the career, eventually it was going to happen. Now I’m trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future. Obviously, Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me.

“Which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win here, of course I wanted to, but Grand Slams are where I really want to play the best tennis. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best.”

Djokovic made it clear last year that he was keen to spend more time with his wife and children rather than playing in regular ATP Tour events, with his family travelling with him to a lot of events in 2024.

The absence of wife Jelena and his two children from tournaments this year has been notable and while that may be because Djokovic is keen to focus on his tennis.

Now the respected Croft has given her verdict on Djokovic’s slump in form, as she spoke to Sky Sports Tennis.

“We know that his total focus is on adding to that Grand Slam tally. He wants to become the greatest tennis player in terms of Grand Slam action ever,” said Croft, with Djokovic pushing to pass Margaret Court’s all-time record by winning a 25th Grand Slam title.

“But it’s getting harder and harder, and actually, I always feel like he’s just gone a bit flat on the court as well. He just can’t find it, he can’t find that winning formula.

“He didn’t win a major last year, which was extraordinary for all four majors were slipped between [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcarz and when I look at his results, he’s had some extraordinary losses to very low-ranked players.

“So he’s definitely losing confidence and the last great match that I think he played was against Alcaraz in the Australian Open [in January]. 
I mean, that win was absolutely phenomenal.

“He hasn’t been the same since, so I don’t quite know what’s going on, whether there are distractions [outside of tennis] or he’s just not happy or he’s lost confidence. But whatever’s happening, he’s not looking in great shape, heading towards the French Open.

“He has pulled out of Rome and we know that is an event he absolutely loves. So he’s not in great shape ahead of the French shape.

Croft went on to suggest Djokovic is also struggling to beat opponents who now believe he is vulnerable after a year of shock defeats.

“Everything is just looking very, very tough and uphill, and I think we mentioned the word aura,” she added. “A lot of players now walk onto court thinking, ‘Well, I do have a chance against him, because he’s not playing great’.

“
In the past, they would have been panicking about whether they were going to get games on the board, and now I think, maybe there’s a feeling when more and more players of lower rankings start to beat him, they all feel they have a chance, and that makes it doubly difficult for him.”

Djokovic could opt to play in a lower-ranked clay-court tournament ahead of the French Open, but there must be a chance now that his next match will be his first round encounter at Roland Garros.

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Tennis great Jim Courier has described Novak Djokovic’s decision to withdraw from the Italian Open as “troubling” and “worrying.”

Djokovic pulled out of the prestigious tournament in Rome, which is the third and final Masters 1000 event of the clay season, on Tuesday.

It ends a run of 18 consecutive appearances at the Italian Open for Djokovic, who is a six-time champion. The last time the Serbian did not feature in the main draw of the tournament was 2006, when he lost in the qualifying draw as an 18-year-old.

The 37-year-old’s surprise decision comes after he lost 6-3, 6-4 to Matteo Arnaldi in his first match at the Madrid Open last week.

It was a third consecutive straight-set loss for Djokovic, who was beaten by Alejandro Tabilo in his opening match at the Monte Carlo Masters and Jakub Mensik in the Miami Open final.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner will, therefore, enter the French Open with a 0-2 record on clay this year — unless he adds an event to his schedule in between Rome and the Paris major.

On Tennis Channel, Courier struggled to make sense of Djokovic’s decision and found the timing of the announcement “very strange.”

“Has he listed a reason why? That’s troubling, that’s worrying for me as a Novak fan,” said the four-time major champion.

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“It’s worrying because that’s the best place to get ready for Roland Garros, the conditions are very similar, it’s back at sea level.

“If you’re gonna play one between Madrid and Rome, Rome would be the one you’d want to play to get ready for Roland Garros.

“So I don’t know what to make of it, but I don’t like the way it feels in the gut.

“Definitely concerned, it’s a very strange thing to announce to pull out now, well in advance of it. And we’ll see what it all means when we get to Roland Garros.”

Tracy Austin, a former world No 1 and two-time US Open champion, also weighed in.

“He (Djokovic) has lost his last three matches in a row, all in straight sets,” said the American. “He hasn’t won a clay-court match this year, early in Monte Carlo, early here [in Madrid] as well.

“And he just looked a little out of balance, his footwork wasn’t great in his loss the other day against Arnaldi, and he even said, ‘My reality right now is trying to win a match or two.’ And that’s really tough for a guy who’s won 24 majors to be talking like that.”

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The post Novak Djokovic’s Rome decision labelled ‘troubling’ and ‘very strange’ as two tennis icons react appeared first on Tennis365.

As Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month suspension following his positive doping tests earlier this year, the starting gun was fired on the race to replace him as world No 1.

Sinner has a huge advantage over his rivals in the rankings when news broke that he had opted to strike a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency to take a ban rather than face the threat of a one-year suspension if he took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Alexander Zverev was closest to Sinner in the rankings and there was a real chance the German could claim the world No 1 ranking for the first time in his career.

That was before his form fell off a cliff after his run to the Australian Open final in January, when he was taken apart by Sinner.

He opted to play clay court tournaments in South America after that and struggled to make an impact before lost early at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.

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Zverev was asked whether the chase for the world No 1 spot was impacting his form and he made these comments last month.

“It was in the beginning. Now it’s less, because I’m just playing terrible,” he said.

“So for me, I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become World No 1, you have to win tournaments. I’m not
past getting first, second round at the moment. So I need to figure that out first.”

“I think I’m serving quite badly the last few weeks. My second serve is fine, but my first serve is terrible.

“From the back of the court I’m not playing great. It’s everything. You can’t really name one thing.”

Zverev’s latest setback as he lost against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the Madrid Masters added to his woes and there is more danger of his losing the No 2 ranking to Alcaraz than usurping Sinner at the top of the rankings.

Alcaraz has also been impacted by Sinner’s absence, as he was well beaten by Jack Draper in Indian Wells and then lost early in Miami.

His Monte Carlo Masters win was a stand-out week for the Spaniard, but he admits the chance to take Sinner’s top ranking has been on his mind.

“A lot of people are asking me, or are telling me, that I have the chance to become No 1 if Jannik is not playing,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion. “So probably that pressure has killed me in some way.

“I’m not surprised. The people always say that we have to win the tournaments or the top people have to be there all the time playing finals or winning tournaments.

“I’m just thinking that I’m not able to become No 1 in the clay season. Even if Jannik is not playing, I don’t have the chance to do it. I think I’m too far from Jannik.

“So I’m just here and I realise that I don’t have to think about it and just go there and play. That’s my mindset right now.”

The biggest winner from a curious three months in the men’s game appears to be the one player who has been banned from playing in the last four Masters 1000 tournaments.

Sinner will return to action in from of his home fans in Rome next month and they will be cheering him on and he looks to extend his dominant lead at the top of the ATP Rankings in what is left of the clay court season

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The post How Jannik Sinner’s drug ban had a negative impact on his biggest rivals appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek on a clay court has tended to set alarm bells ringing for her opponents, but that mindset may have shifted this year.

After a challenging few months that have seen Swiatek struggle to find her consistency and slump to some shock defeats, the Polish star is facing a crucial few weeks that will see her defend a massive 4,000 WTA ranking points.

Those points were amassed in her win at the Madrid and Rome WTA 1000 tournaments and another French Open win that ensured she had an aura on clay that sent shivers down the spine of her opponents before they dared to step with her.

That has been shaken by the events of the last year and after Jelena Ostapenko hammered Swiatek into submission in the Stuttgart clay court contest earlier this month, she arrived in Madrid with questions to answer.

While she has made it through to the quarter-finals with a win against world No 13 Diana Shnaider, the manner of her victory leaves more question marks.

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The first set was a snapshot of the Swiatek of old as she recorded yet another 6-0 opening set and the expectation was that she would back that up with a convincing win.

Yet this is a very different Swiatek and the uncertainty around her game was in evidence as she faced nine break points in a set laced with errors and eventually lost out against Shnaider in the tie-break.

To her credit, Swiatek found a way to come through despite more scares on her serve in the deciding set and her 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4 win was a tribute to her battling qualities.

Yet her upcoming opponents will not be looking at Swiatek as a winning machine on her current form, despite her positive comments after the match.

“I think I moved better, and I spin the ball a little bit more,” she said as she looked back on the third set.

“In second set it got pretty windy, and I didn’t move my legs properly. I played some shots like not being ready, you know, so for sure that kind of kept my rhythm off. And then Diana also used her chances, and she was more proactive than in the first set. So I think it was a mix of different things.

“I treat every point the same way. I don’t feel like I need to change anything on break points. I just trust that it’s going to work. That mindset, I think, helps with tension a little bit.”

They may be at different ends of their careers, but Swiatek’s status at this point in the clay court season is similar to that of 24-time Grand Slam winning legend Novak Djokovic.

While the Serbian legend was always going to wane at some point in his career, his opponents were often beaten by his reputation as much as a his brilliance on court over the last two decades.

Swiatek has a similar scenario in her favour as she reigned supreme as the queen of the women’s game, especially on clay courts.

Yet her opponents can now see dips in form and mental frailties that were not so obvious until recently and that means she is more vulnerable than she has been in recent years.

On current form, Swiatek is not the favourite to win in Madrid and she may also drop ranking points in the upcoming WTA 1000 event in Rome.

So by the time she gets to Roland Garros, this magnificent player may well be under huge pressure to avoid a major slide in the rankings.

Swiatek needs to find her best form quickly to confirm she is still the force she always was on clay, but fixing the doubts she now has in her mind when the pressure is applied will not be easy.

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Iga Swiatek survived a scare against Diana Shnaider to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 Madrid Open, and her latest win has brought more impressive statistics.

The five-time major champion prevailed 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4 against the world No 13 in Estadio Manolo Santana in the last 16 of the WTA 1000 clay tournament.

Swiatek dropped only seven points as she took a one-sided opening set in just 22 minutes, but Shnaider hit back as she won a tight second set on a tiebreak.

The world No 2 sealed a hard-fought win against the 21-year-old Russian after securing the only break of the third set in the fifth game. She remains undefeated in matches where she won the first set 6-0, improving her record to 78-0.

The match was initially scheduled to be played on Monday, but the major power outage in Spain and Portugal caused play in Madrid to be suspended.

After her victory over Shnaider, Swiatek was asked what she did during the blackout.

“Honestly, it’s good that in Madrid the sun is setting pretty late,” the 23-year-old said in her on-court interview. “So yeah, as soon as it got down and it was dark, they put the energy back in our area.

“So honestly, I just chilled and used that time to not think about what I should do. Should I, I don’t know text or contact, like… there was no signal, so basically no one used their phones. It was nice, I liked it.”

With her win, Swiatek has now progressed to the quarter-finals at each of the last 17 clay tournaments she has entered.

The Pole is the first woman to reach this many consecutive quarter-finals on clay since tennis great Martina Hingis — who made 19 in a row between 1997 and 2002.

Swiatek is also the only player to feature in the quarter-finals of all five WTA 1000 tournaments held so far in 2025.

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The 23-year-old, who is the reigning Madrid Open champion, has not gone beyond the semi-finals of an event since the French Open in June last year.

Her triumph against Shnaider also saw her improve her record against opponents ranked in the top 20 to a stellar 83-32 (72.2%).

Since 1990, only Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have a higher win rate against players in the top 20 of the WTA Rankings than Swiatek.

Best win percentage vs. top 20 WTA players (since 1990)

1. Steffi Graf – 82.1%

2. Serena Williams – 75.3%

3. Iga Swiatek – 72.2%

4. Monica Seles – 70.4%

5. Martina Hingis – 67.9%

Swiatek will face world No 5 Madison Keys in the last eight in Madrid in a rematch of their Australian Open semi-final — where Keys won after saving a match point.

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