By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday May 1, 2023
The World No.1 had a match point in the second but had to go the distance to take out Ekaterina Alexandrova.
When it comes to clay-court season for the women, it’s Iga Swiatek’s world and everybody else is paying rent.
The Pole was pushed today early and often by 17th-ranked Ekaterina Alexandrova, and made to play a deciding set for just the second time this season, but she came through with a late burst, pushing past the 28-year-old, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3.
Swiatek will face Croatia’s Petra Martic in the quarterfinals, which are now set in Madrid.
See the last eight matchups here:
World No.1 Swiatek had a match point in the second set with Alexandrova serving at 4-5, 30-40, but the Pole would need another hour to finally get the job done.
It was a strong second-set tiebreak from the Russian, who rallied from 5-2 down and broke Swiatek when she served for the match at 5-3 in the second set.
Alexandrova then served a cluster of aces in the second-set breaker to force Swiatek into extra duty well after midnight.
Credit Swiatek, who increased her aggression to take the play to Alexandrova in the final set. She broke early, for 2-1, never faced a break point in the final set, then broke again to close the match in two hours and 26 minutes.
She improves to 23-4 on the season and stretches her current winning streak to six victories.
Swiatek’s Gaudy Clay Numbers
The Pole improves to 51-7 on clay lifetime, and 37-3 since the start of 2021.
She’s 17-3 lifetime against the Top 20 on clay, and owns the highest winning percentage of all WTA players in WTA 1000 events on clay. She is bidding to become the first top seed to win the Madrid Open since Serena Williams in 2013.