World No. 1 Iga Swiatek survived a scare on Tuesday to keep hopes of winning her first Madrid Open title this year as the Pole came back from a set down to beat 11th-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6 6-0 6-2.
After easily winning her opening three matches in straight sets, Swiatek lost the opening set to Haddad Maia in their Madrid quarterfinal clash. But Haddad Maia never came really close to beating Swiatek as the four-time Grand Slam champion absolutely dominated the next two sets to seal a three-set win.
For a place in the Madrid final, Swiatek will be playing against the winner of the match between Ons Jabeur and Madison Keys.
Iga Swiatek © Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
How Swiatek came back to beat Haddad Maia?
Despite facing some break points early on, Swiatek opened an early 4-1 lead and she seemed to be cruising toward winning the first set. But then, Swiatek suffered a shock collapse as Haddad Maia won five games in a row to overturn the deficit and win the opener.
After blowing a first-set lead, Swiatek bounced back emphatically in the second set as she bageled Haddad Maia to force a decider in style.
Iga Swiatek © Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
At the start of the third set, Swiatek also won the opening two games to make it eight games won in a row for her. In the third game, Haddad Maia managed to get the break back but Swiatek remained calm and still routinely won the third set after breaking the Brazilian in the fourth and eighth games.
“I needed to for sure stick to the tactics, because in the first set I started making too many mistakes. I started playing too fast,” Swiatek said after her win.
“I just needed to really get back to basics and what I wanted to play today. It took me a while, longer than usual, but I’m glad that it happened after the set anyway.”
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