Iga Swiatek pulled out of her Madrid Open third-round match against Ann Li on Saturday after falling ill during the decider, ending her title defense in the Spanish capital.
The fourth-ranked Pole, the 2024 champion here, retired with Li leading 7-6 (4), 2-6, 3-0. Swiatek later revealed that she had been battling a stomach virus for the past two days and hoped she could still find a way, even though she felt “terrible”.
The withdrawal marked Swiatek’s first exit in five appearances in Madrid and opened up another draw as Li moved into the last 16 to meet Leylah Fernandez.
WHY DID SIWATEK LEAVE MADRID?
Swiatek opened her campaign with a straight sets win over Daria Snigurova on Thursday, but ran into trouble in the round of 32 against No. 34 Li. Li won the first set 7-6 (4) before Swiatek recovered to level the match by winning the second 6-2.
At the start of the third set, the match changed again. Heartbroken, Swiatek asked for a medical timeout and had her vitals checked with Li down 2-0. She returned to the court and tried to break, but Li held serve for a 3-0 lead before Swiatek decided she could not continue.
Swiatek first left the court for treatment during the deciding set, as the match progressed, her illness took a toll on her. The problem was later described as a viral illness, with Swiatek saying she had stomach problems two days before the match.
It’s Li’s second career top 10 win and sends her into the fourth round in Madrid. It is an abrupt end for Swiatek in a tournament she won last year, her title defense cut short by illness after fighting back from a set down to stay in the match.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
26 Apr 2026 11:36 IST
