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Pole Magda Linette rallied to register a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph over her compatriot Swiatek in the second round of the event in Miami.
Iga Swiatek (AP Photo)
Iga Swiatek was eliminated in the second round of the Miami Open on Thursday, as 50th-ranked fellow Pole Magda Linette secured a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over the six-time Grand Slam champion.
The reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek, who won the Miami Open in 2022, experienced her first early tournament exit since the 2021 WTA Finals.
This loss adds to recent disappointments for Swiatek, who was previously ousted in the Australian Open quarter-finals and the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Indian Wells.
Despite being seeded second in the prestigious combined ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament in Miami, Swiatek dropped to third in the world rankings this week, following Indian Wells finalist Elena Rybakina, who climbed behind top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.
Linette had to dig deep after Swiatek swiftly took the first set in 33 minutes. However, Linette persevered, capitalizing on Swiatek’s double fault to secure two break points in the 12th game of the second set, ultimately forcing a third set with a return winner.
“I just had to go for a little bit more,” Linette told Tennis Channel. “I had to start hitting a little bit faster to push her back and not give her space. But it all started with serving better,” she added.
Swiatek did not concede easily, saving a pair of match points on her own serve in the eighth game of the third set and two more as Linette served for the match. Linette eventually secured the win when Swiatek sent a backhand wide.
“She gets really good on those break points down, match points down,” Linette noted.
“She starts swinging. I just knew I had to stay strong on my serve.”
Linette advanced to face 20-year-old Alexandra Eala of the Philippines in the third round. Eala triumphed over Germany’s Laura Siegemund with a score of 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-3.
“It was really close,” said Eala, a surprise semi-finalist last year. She needed three hours and 20 minutes to close out the match. “It was demanding, physically and mentally. Improving physically was one of my goals after last year’s tournament, and here I am fresh as a flower.”
This contest marked the longest WTA career match for the 29th-ranked Eala. She defeated Swiatek in last year’s Miami Open quarter-finals, achieving the biggest win of her career before losing to American Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.
Former world number one Venus Williams, 45, lost her first-round match to Britain’s Francesca Jones 7-5, 7-5 after one hour and 51 minutes. Jones advanced to a second-round match against fifth seed Pegula, who was last year’s Miami runner-up to Sabalenka.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
United States of America (USA)
March 20, 2026, 08:25 IST
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