Iga Swiatek has battled into the last 16 of the China Open after a comeback victory over Donna Vekic.
After two hours and 40 minutes in Beijing, Swiatek defeated Vekic 4-6, 7-6(7-0), 6-2. It follows a second round win over Gao Xinyu, who she beat 6-2, 6-3. She received a bye in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament, where she is the eighth seed.
But she experienced a great deal of frustration in her latest China Open match, in which Swiatek was often not reaching the level she knows she is capable of. She detailed that anger post-match, where she also expressed her delight at making it through a very tricky three-set clash in Beijing. The Pole had also been trailing 2-5 in the second set.
Where will Iga Swiatek be ranked at the end of 2026?
Iga Swiatek ‘angry’ during hard-fought China Open comeback
Speaking on court after the hard-fought win, Swiatek said of her comeback: “I was just really p—–. I thought I am not playing bad but for sure it was not enough. I was making some mistakes. I was just angry, and wanted to change something because clearly it was not working. At the beginning of the second set it was tough but I figured it out, so I was happy about that.”
And commenting on the fans who attended the thrilling encounter, she added: “The crowd is amazing, thank you guys for being such great fans. I am feeling the love every day, so thanks for being with me and hopefully there are many more matches before us.”
Swiatek showed superb physical and mental strength to grind out the victory, which keeps her among strong WTA company. As per OptaAce, only four players have reached 40 Tier I/WTA-1000 rounds of 16 in fewer main draws than Swiatek. Her figure of 49 is bettered only by Martina Hingis (43), Lindsay Davenport (45), Conchita Martinez and Serena Williams (both 46).
The six-time Grand Slam champion, who is currently ranked ninth in the world, will face Iva Jovic next after she beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 7-5. It is certainly being treated as a key event for Swiatek, who finds herself 10th in the Race to the WTA Finals. The top eight players will qualify for the year-end tournament at Indian Wells, with the Pole having lifted the trophy at the event in 2023.
