Different circumstances, same outcome: There was minimal interference to Iga Swiatek’s progress to the Mutua Madrid Open fourth round at Manolo Santana Stadium due to its covered roof. In just 78 minutes, the top seed in the world defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-1 on Saturday to go to the round of 16.
At a WTA 1000 event, Swiatek hasn’t lost to a player outside the Top 20 in the last four years, and against world No. 30 Cirstea, the No. 27 seed, that streak continued. The Romanian was broken in the first game of the encounter despite having two chances to win. That set the tone for a match that saw Swiatek, the Madrid finalist from the previous year, win five games in a row in each set, despite her first set bid to serve out a bagel being unsuccessful.
With Cirstea’s serve, Swiatek generated a total of 14 break point opportunities, of which five were converted. On Swiatek’s serve, Cirstea had just two break points, both in the opening set.
With a record of 26-4 overall, Swiatek will play either Victoria Azarenka, a two-time finalist, or Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain to earn a trip to the quarterfinals.
“For sure, the weather is different than last year, but still, I know how to play in these kinds of conditions,” Swiatek stated. “I was quite at ease. My only complaint is that I had to get up quite early, but other than that, I’m glad I was able to play well. I have the entire day off right now.”
With the victory, Swiatek’s head-to-head record versus Cirstea is now 4-0. She has won six straight sets and hasn’t dropped more than three games in any of them since she lost the opening set of the 2022 Australian Open against the Romanian. Both of their matches have ended in 6-1, 6-1 results this year.
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