Swiatek Kicks Off Clay Season With Win over Siegemund in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek had dropped just seven games across four dominant sets in her two previous meetings with the always tricky Laura Siegemund. On Wednesday in Stuttgart, as the pair of former champions (Siegemund in 2017, Swiatek in 2022 and 2023) met for a third time, it was once again Swiatek dictating play.

The two-time Stuttgart champion, playing her first match on clay since her 26-match winning streak at Roland-Garros was snapped in last year’s semifinals by Aryna Sabalenka, powered past the 38-year-old with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory.

Swiatek will face either Alycia Parks or Mirra Andreeva next in Stuttgart.

“I’m really happy to be back on clay, especially here,” Swiatek said on court. “For sure it wasn’t the easiest match, because Laura wants to change the rhythm a lot, it wasn’t like the practices – it was the opposite with a lot of drop shots and slices.

“I’m happy that I kept being focus on my tasks.”

With her newly appointed coach Francisco Roig watching courtside, Swiatek delivered a composed and largely stress-free performance on the indoor clay.

After building a 3-1 lead, Swiatek briefly lost her footing—literally—slipping at the baseline after being caught off guard by a Siegemund return. Covered in clay, she followed with back-to-back double faults and was broken back for 3-2. But the response was immediate: Swiatek reasserted control, winning the final three games of the set and sealing it with a backhand down the line.

In the second set, Swiatek used her heavy topspin returns to earn the first break for 4-2. Siegemund attempted to disrupt her rhythm by complaining about the Pole’s pace between serves, and the tactic briefly paid off as Swiatek was broken back—closing the next game with her seventh double fault of the afternoon.

Unfazed, the No. 3 seed responded immediately, using her forehand to break again for 5-3. From there, she calmly closed the match, recovering from 0-30 in the final game by winning four consecutive points.

“I practiced in Mallorca outside, so it was a bit different conditions than here. Here everything happens much faster – clay is much more slippery so you need to watch out for it sometimes. Also the points, you need to build them a bit differently.” 

Swiatek also talked about her time spent with Rafael Nadal and her coach Francisco Roig in Mallorca in the leadup to the tournament. 

“I think we really need to be open-minded and try to soak in this new approach, and I feel like with Francisco we have a similar view in terms of how I should play. The other thing is actually doing it on the court. This will take a little bit more time, but the idea, the attitude and the work are there. 

“And with Rafa it was just a privilege, and a really inspiring time. I always am super motivated before coming on clay, but having him on the court, it was like an extra-crazy boost of motivation. I don’t think I ever spent as much time on court as I did in Mallorca, so it was really a week full of grinding and hard work so I’m happy for that.” 

Andreeva Upsets Ostapenko

Elsewhere, Mirra Andreeva, fresh off her Linz title, delivered a statement win.

One of only two players in the draw to have previously beaten Swiatek in Stuttgart, Jelena Ostapenko—last year’s champion, who defeated both Swiatek and Sabalenka en route to the title—was ousted in the opening round.

The 18-year-old Andreeva, seeded sixth, rallied from a set down to earn a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory, clawing back from 4-1 down in the deciding set.

“I actually didn’t think I’d be able to come back in the third set,” Andreeva said. “But the last tournament I played in Linz showed me that I can win from any score. I just kept believing and tried to take every opportunity. Point by point, I felt like I was coming back.”

Andreeva will next face Linda Noskova in the second round.