Iga Swiatek was hoping to bounce back from her devastating defeat in Madrid with a strong showing at the Italian Open.
Last time out, Swiatek lost to Coco Gauff, 1-6, 1-6, in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open, suffering her worst clay-court defeat in six years.
Returning to the court in Rome as the defending champion, Swiatek won her opening match against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 6-1, 6-0.
Her run came to an abrupt end in the third round, however, as Swiatek lost to Danielle Collins in straight sets.
Speaking after the match, a former Wimbledon champion described Swiatek’s defeat as a ‘massive shock’
Marion Bartoli says Iga Swiatek was missing shots ‘she never used to miss’ during Italian Open defeat
Appearing on Sky Sports, following Swiatek’s 1-6, 5-7 defeat to Collins, 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli shared her thoughts on the match.
“It’s a massive shock. To see Iga Swiatek going out so early in a clay court tournament before a Grand Slam, which is Roland Garros, when she is defending champion, is the biggest shock,” she said.
“She was struggling so much on the return of serve. On a few occasions in the second set, she could have broken and gotten herself back in 2-2, 15-15; she missed two routine returns of serve. The same in the back end of the set.
“She just couldn’t get that strike into the court. It was very uncharacteristic from her when she is playing her best tennis.”
Bartoli gave credit to Swiatek’s American opponent, but couldn’t quite believe what she had just witnessed on Stadio Centrale.
“Of course, Collins was doing what she does best, which was attacking and exposing that second serve,” she said.
“I am still really in shock that Iga has not been able to turn that match around. I honestly thought towards the back end of that second set, it was getting a lot closer, and she could have turned it around.
“But you can tell that lack of confidence at crucial moments.
“She is missing shots she never used to miss, and out of that, it is very difficult to find your confidence again.”
Prior to her latest defeat in Rome, Swiatek had qualified for the last 16 at 26 consecutive WTA tournaments.
Her loss to Collins at the Italian Open ended that run and broke her streak of reaching the quarterfinals of every tournament she’d played so far in 2025.
| Tournament | Round lost in | Opponent | Score |
| Italian Open | 3R | Danielle Collins | 1-6, 5-7 |
| Madrid Open | SF | Coco Gauff | 1-6, 1-6 |
| Stuttgart Open | QF | Jelena Ostapenko | 3-6, 6-3, 2-6 |
| Miami Open | QF | Alexandra Eala | 2-6, 5-7 |
| Indian Wells | SF | Mirra Andreeva | 6-7, 6-1, 3-6 |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | QF | Mirra Andreeva | 3-6, 3-6 |
| Qatar Open | SF | Jelena Ostapenko | 3-6, 1-6 |
| Australian Open | SF | Madison Keys | 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 |
Swiatek’s performances on clay have been particularly disappointing in 2025, as Bartoli explained the issues she’s having on the surface before the match began.
Marion Bartoli said Iga Swiatek ‘struggles’ on clay against players who ‘play fast’
Ahead of her match with Collins, Bartoli was presented with statistics outlining the Pole’s decline in performance on clay from 2024 to 2025.
Iga Swiatek’s 2024 clay statistics
- 21-1 record (95% win rate)
- 43-5 set record (90% sets won)
- 3 titles won
Iga Swiatek’s 2025 clay statistics
- 5-2 (71% win rate)
- 11-7 set record (61% sets won)
- 0 titles won
Bartoli suggested the one key reason behind Swiatek’s struggles on the surface in 2025.
“There are many [reasons], the first one that jumps into my eyes is the stress level that Iga Swiatek is feeling right now on the court,” she said.
“It’s so palpable, you can really feel it when she’s on the court, there is not that confidence anymore in her movement, she’s missing shots she normally would never miss, the serve has been really difficult for her, she has been double-faulting a lot more than usual.
“She has actually lost more sets so far in 2025 on clay than she lost throughout the whole clay court season last year, it really shows you the difficulty she’s facing.”
Bartoli then looked back at Swiatek’s defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart, a match that highlighted a big issue for the Pole, which she thinks is now being exploited by the five-time Major champion’s WTA rivals.
“She played against [Jelena] Ostapenko in Stuttgart, and I’m still helping Ostapenko with her tactics in some of her matches,” said Bartoli.
“When I was watching the match on TV, I could just sense the fact that Iga was struggling so much when you play fast.
“When you don’t give her time and you play fast, the same as what Coco Gauff has been doing in Madrid to get her as well, when you rush her, she’s struggling to find that footwork that normally she possesses so well on clay.
“It has been a lot easier this year to beat her out of the court.”
Swiatek will have to recover fast from her latest defeat as she prepares to defend her title at the French Open, which begins on Sunday, May 25.
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