After taking a break during the blackout, Iga Swiatek has refocused and moved into the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.
Swiatek triumphed over Diana Shnaider with a score of 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, keeping her hopes alive to defend her title in Madrid.
“I enjoyed yesterday. It seemed like everyone was more relaxed,” she remarked. “I made the most of my downtime, trying to recharge, since we need to appreciate these moments of rest.”
She mentioned that she brought food back to her hotel from the tournament venue and took it easy until the power was restored.
“I just relaxed and used that time to not stress about anything,” she shared. “Without any signal, no one was using their phones, which was refreshing, and I really enjoyed it.”
While most areas of Madrid had regained power overnight, the Caja Magica was still without electricity early Tuesday, leading to a delay in opening the gates for fans.
Fortunately, power returned swiftly, allowing organizers to stick to the day’s match schedule, though the night session might face delays due to 22 matches carried over from Monday.
In her match, Swiatek dominated the first set but had to fend off 11 of 13 break points to secure a hard-earned win against the 13th-seeded Shnaider.
Since her run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, Swiatek hasn’t advanced beyond that stage. Her next opponent will be Madison Keys, who won against Donna Vekic with a score of 6-2, 6-3.
This will mark Swiatek’s first match against Keys since she lost in the Australian Open semi-finals, despite having held a match point.
Elina Svitolina defeated Maria Sakkari with a score of 6-3, 6-4 and will take on Moyuka Uchijima, who overcame Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
The remaining last-16 matches are set for the evening session, featuring top seed Aryna Sabalenka against Peyton Stearns and Marta Kostyuk taking on Anastasia Potapova; the winners will advance to the quarter-finals.
The other quarter-final will see Coco Gauff face Mirra Andreeva, who concluded their last-16 matches prior to the blackout on Monday.
