Iga Swiatek lost her grandfather before Madrid Open, confirms manager
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek competed in the 2025 Madrid Open while mourning the loss of her grandfather. The news was confirmed by her PR manager, Daria Sulgostowska, who acknowledged the 23-year-old's personal loss.Following the Stuttgart Open, Swiatek mentioned in an interview with Canal+ that she might need to return to Poland before heading to Madrid. Earlier, journalist Benoit Maylin had shared news of her grandfather's passing on X.advertisement"Before we write off Djokovic and witek after Novak's strange behavior and Iga's obvious nervousness, it should be noted that both are going through a complicated period. Several of Djokovic's close friends have health problems, and Iga lost her grandfather just before the tournament," he wrote.
Swiatek's PR manager later confirmed that the tennis star had attended the funeral just before the start of the clay-court tournament in Madrid. She also requested that Swiatek's privacy be respected during this difficult time.Iga Swiatek's team member & P.R. Manager Daria Sulgostowska has confirmed that Iga's grandfather passed away.She attended his funeral before the tournament.Despite the painful loss in her family, she competed admirably and reached the semifinals with a very heavy heart. pic.twitter.com/7f2hhyC5VH— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 2, 2025advertisementIga Swiatek in danger of losing No.2 rankingLast year, Swiatek lost her No.1 ranking to Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka. The Pole is now in danger of losing her No.2 spot. Swiatek will drop to No.3 in the rankings if USA's Coco Gauff wins the Madrid Open title. On Saturday, Gauff will lock horns with Sabalenka in the grand finale of the WTA 1000 event.Swiatek has had her challenges of late. In the round of 64, she rallied back from a set down to beat 19-year-old sensation Alexandra Eala from the Philippines. In the quarterfinal, reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys blanked her in the opening set before Swiatek won 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.Against Gauff, Swiatek looked completely out of sorts as she lost 1-6, 1-6 in the semis at Manolo Santana. It was her second-worst loss on the WTA Tour after former player Simona Halep beat her 6-1, 6-0 in the French Open 2019.Trending Reel
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Sabalenka, Swiatek set up final before final
Mumbai: One of the biggest takeaways from when the French Open draws were made was that Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek were put in the same half of the women's singles event. Here we had the reigning world No.1 Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion on a collision course with the three-time defending champion and fifth seed Swiatek, should they get to the semi-final. On Tuesday, both came up with straight-set wins in their respective quarter-final to set up a mouth watering semi-final. In many ways, the final before the final. Sabalenka was coming up against the Olympic champion, who had beaten the Belarusian a week before the French Open, at the Rome Masters. Zheng made the first big move in the match by earning a break in the third game of the opening set. But Sabalenka wouldn't go away, despite Zheng looking the sharper of the two players early on. The top seed eventually got a break back before clinching the set in the tiebreaker. They traded breaks early in the second set only for Sabalenka to break once again at 3-3. With Zheng serving to stay in the match, Sabalenka unleashed a series of powerful backhands that the Chinese had no answer to. In the second quarter-final, Swiatek was in control in the first set. In the second though, Svitolina found greater depth and rhythm on her forehand as she challenged the Pole's firepower. It took some more heavy-hitting from Swiatek to find the break in the 11th game, and then she served out for the match with three aces in the final game. And with it, she ensured a 13th meeting with Sabalenka. The pair will come into the match on the back of contrasting form. Sabalenka has been the player to beat, with a 39/6 record so far this season, including three titles. Reaching the semi-final means that Sabalenka is now only the third woman in the last 30 years to reach nine Grand Slam semi-finals in 10 appearances, along with Serena Williams and Martina Hingis. The three Grand Slams Sabalenka has won so far have all come on hard courts. But she does have a game that can work on any surface - she has reached the semi-final without dropping a set. Up next for the 27-year-old though is a player often dubbed the 'Queen of Clay.' Swiatek has not won any trophies so far this season, and has a 32/9 record on the tour in 2025. The 24-year-old is now on a 26-match unbeaten run at the French Open, where she has won four of her five Grand Slam titles. Going into the semi-final, Swiatek has an 8-4 head-to-head record against Sabalenka. At the majors though, they met only once, when Swiatek won their semi-final at the US Open in 2022. The next meeting though is important for both players for various reasons. Sabalenka is looking to break away from the tag of being a hard-court specialist - despite having recently won the Madrid Masters on clay. Swiatek meanwhile is hoping to get her season back on track. But she knows she is in for a rough battle ahead. 'Aryna is always a challenge. She has a game for every surface. I need to focus on myself, do the work, be brave with my shots and go for it,' Swiatek said after beating Svitolina. 'She's been having a great season, it is going to be a tough match.' Tough, and possibly the biggest at this French Open. For both players.
News18
9 hours ago
- News18
Carlos Alcaraz Bullies Tommy Paul In Straight-Sets Win To Enter French Open Semis
Last Updated: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the French Open semifinals for the third consecutive year, where he will face Lorenzo Musetti next. Facing Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open is a daunting task for any player. If you aren't at your peak performance, especially in clay, as Tommy Paul experienced in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night, there's little hope for success. Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, advanced to the semifinals at Roland-Garros for the third consecutive year with a commanding 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 12 Tommy Paul. Paul, who had his right thigh heavily taped, struggled to run, serve, or hit groundstrokes with full force. Alcaraz needed just 52 minutes to secure the first two sets, amassing a 23-5 edge in winners during that time, with final totals of 40-13. The third set was more competitive, with Paul leading 4-3 at one point as spectators at Court Philippe-Chatrier chanted his name. However, Alcaraz won the next three games to finish the match in just over 90 minutes. Alcaraz, aiming for his fifth Grand Slam title, is the first reigning men's champion in Paris to return to the semifinals the following year since Rafael Nadal in 2021. He has an impressive 20-1 record on red clay this season and leads the men's tour with 35 wins and three titles. In the semifinals, Alcaraz will face No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated No. 15 Frances Tiafoe in four sets earlier on Tuesday. Paul, a semifinalist at the 2023 Australian Open, and Tiafoe, a two-time U.S. Open semifinalist, were the first American men to reach the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003. First Published: June 04, 2025, 01:54 IST
Economic Times
9 hours ago
- Economic Times
Titleholder Swiatek to face No. 1 Sabalenka in semis after 26th straight win at Roland-Garros
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Four-time champion Iga Swiatek 's 26th successive win at Roland-Garros on Tuesday set up a semifinal clash against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in what will be their first French Open defeated Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 to extend her impressive run. The consecutive wins record on the Parisian red clay is Chris Evert's ousted Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in straight sets to reach the Paris semifinals for the second been searching for her best form in recent months, Swiatek, who struggled in the previous round, was in total control in the opening was made to work harder by her 13th-seeded Ukrainian rival in the second set, dropping her serve in the fourth game after hitting two straight unforced errors into the net. But Swiatek broke back immediately and took advantage of Svitolina's poor service game to break again with a thunderous forehand return and move up 6-5. Swiatek sealed the win with a final has won five of the six matches she's played on clay against Sabalenka, including a thrilling three-setter in Spain last year."The Madrid final against her is one of the best and most exciting finals that I have played," said Swiatek, who has not won a title or reached a final since her victory at Roland-Garros last year. "It is always a challenge against Aryna."Sabalenka is trying to reach her sixth Grand Slam final, and first at Roland-Garros."I'm super excited to go out there and to fight and to do everything I need to get the win," Sabalenka consistency Sabalenka overcame a shaky start and windy conditions to prevail against Zheng 7-6 (3), 6-3 and extend her record against the Chinese star to score did not fully reflect the closeness of the quarterfinal, though, with so little separating the rivals. But Sabalenka demonstrated why she was No. 1, making the difference on big points, while Zheng struggled with her serve in tense had lost her most recent match against Zheng last month in Rome, having previously dominated their first six encounters. She said that loss was actually a good thing in the middle of an already exhausting season."I was actually glad I lost that match, because I needed a little break before Roland-Garros," Sabalenka said. "Today, I was just more fresh. I was ready to battle, I was ready to leave everything I had on court to get this win."Sabalenka, a three-time major champion, has yet to drop a set in else happened at the French Open on Tuesday? Lorenzo Musetti reached his first semifinal at the French Open and second at a Grand Slam tournament. The 23-year-old Italian beat Frances Tiafoe of the United States 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the same stadium where he won a bronze medal at last year's eighth-seeded Musetti improved to 19-3 this season on red clay. He'll face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul on Friday for a berth in the championship match. Musetti and No. 1 Jannik Sinner gave Italy two male quarterfinalists at Roland-Garros for the first time since 1973. Sinner faces unseeded Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
