Iga Swiatek is searching for her first title of the season at the 2025 Madrid Open tournament.
The clay-court specialist suffered a shock defeat in her first appearance on the surface this year, when Swiatek lost to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart.
Bouncing back in Madrid, Swiatek beat Alexandra Eala in her opening match, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The Pole didn’t have things all her own way, however, as she trailed by a set and a break against Eala, who looked primed to score a second career win over the world number two.
Fighting back to win in three sets, Swiatek advanced to the third round, as an American tennis legend now shares his thoughts on her performance.
Jim Courier says it was ‘interesting’ to see Iga Swiatek struggle with the conditions in Madrid
Speaking on the Tennis Channel, former world number one, Jim Courier, explained what happened in Swiatek’s opening match that he found ‘interesting’.
“I think it was interesting, she was dealing with the new conditions and didn’t have the match under her belt the way [Alexandra] Eala did,” he said.
“She sent a couple of rackets back, asking for different tensions, trying to find the right combination to be aggressive because that is what she does so well, trying to rock the forehand and trying to control the ball in those thin air conditions.
“The first match, you get the adrenaline in your body and the ball travels a bit further.
“She was in spray mode in the first set, she managed to reel it back in which is nice and really important for her.”
The 23-year-old hit a dismal 57 unforced errors throughout, gifting her Filipino opponent several chances to break in the first and second sets.
Courier believes winning this year’s Madrid Open would do great things for Swiatek after her recent struggles.
“I think she needs a settling tournament and this one, having won it last year, would be a good one for her to get back on the good foot,” he said.
Swiatek beat Aryna Sabalenka, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 in the final of the 2024 Madrid Open, in one of the greatest matches of the season.
The result saw Swiatek take revenge on Sabalenka, who had beaten her in the final one year earlier.
Can Iga Swiatek finally win her first title of 2025 at the Madrid Open?
In previous years, fans have come to expect Swiatek to pick up several titles during the early months of the season, often winning at the Qatar Open.
However, that hasn’t been the case in 2025, as Swiatek endures her longest wait for a first title of the season in five years.
| Year | First title | Date of first title | Hard court titles (Before clay season) | Titles won in the year |
| 2025 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Qatar Open | February 17 | 2 | 5 |
| 2023 | Qatar Open | February 18 | 1 | 6 |
| 2022 | Qatar Open | February 26 | 3 | 8 |
| 2021 | Adelaide International | February 27 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | French Open | October 10 | 0 | 1 |
Swiatek won her first career title at the 2020 French Open in October, taking down America’s Sofia Kenin in the final.
Her form in 2025 has led many to question whether the four-time champion will indeed be the favorite at Roland Garros next month.
In recent years, it had seemed a foregone conclusion that the Pole would lift the title on Court Philippe Chatrier, but the likes of Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva could cause her real problems in 2025.
As Courier mentioned, a title in Madrid could do wonders for Swiatek’s confidence ahead of the French Open, and she’ll be looking to make a statement in her upcoming matches.
Iga Swiatek’s potential route to the Madrid Open final (By ranking)
- 3R – Linda Noskova
- 4R – Diana Shnaider
- QF – Madison Keys
- SF – Coco Gauff
- F – Aryna Sabalenka
Many are of course looking ahead to a potential third Madrid Open final between Swiatek and Sabalenka.
The pair have played one another 12 times in total, with the Pole leading the head-to-head, 8-4.
| Match | Surface | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 Cincinnati (SF) | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2024 Rome (F) | Clay | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2024 Madrid (F) | Clay | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 |
| 2023 WTA Finals (SF) | Hard | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2023 Madrid (F) | Clay | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2023 Stuttgart (F) | Clay | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2022 WTA Finals (SF) | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 |
| 2022 US Open (SF) | Hard | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 |
| 2022 Rome (SF) | Clay | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2022 Stuttgart (F) | Clay | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2022 Doha (QF) | Hard | Iga Swiatek | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2021 WTA Finals (RR) | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | Iga Swiatek | 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 |
Swiatek has been even more dominant on clay, winning five of their six matches on the surface, with her one defeat coming at the Madrid Open, two years ago.
Only time will tell if the pair will face off once more in 2025, but they’ll both no doubt be focused on their next matches, as Sabalenka takes on Anna Blinkova in her opener on Friday, April 25, before Swiatek plays Linda Noskova in the third round on Saturday, April 26.
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