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Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open after suffering from an illness in her round-of-32 match against Ann Li on Saturday.
The No. 4 seed Swiatek lost the first set to the No. 31 seed Li but jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, winning 16 of 21 points on the way to winning that set in 39 minutes.
However, the six-time Grand Slam Champion looked unwell throughout and called for a medical timeout while down 2-0 in the deciding third set. She returned to the court after being checked on by doctors but retired after Li held serve.
The exit is the earliest for Swiatek in five appearances in Madrid, where she won the title in 2024.
She beat Daria Snigur in straight sets Thursday but said Saturday she’d been feeling ill for the previous two days.
“I heard there is something going on between players, that the virus is somewhere on site. I’m sure I’ll be fine in a couple of days, but I had zero energy and zero stability and just felt really bad physically, and yesterday even worse,” Swiatek said after Saturday’s match. “I knew that it’s going to be hard, but I still wanted to try.”
Previously untouchable on clay, Swiatek has struggled on the surface more recently.
In 2025, the Polish star failed to defend her Madrid and Italian Open titles and also lost in the French Open semifinals. So far this spring, she has not won more than one match in two clay court tournaments.
“On the court before the tournament I felt like I’m playing great, so actually it’s sad for me that I can’t play, because I was feeling really good with my game, and I was moving forward in the process, so, this was positive,” Swiatek said. “But for me the tournament has just started and I couldn’t even compete today, so it’s disappointing.”
The 7-6 (4), 2-6, 3-0 ret. win over Swiatek is Li’s s second Top 10 win in 12 chances and the highest-ranked win of her career. She will face the No. 24 seed, Canadian Leylah Fernandez, in the Round of 16 on Monday.
–Field Level Media
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