Former world number 1 Iga Swiontek advanced to the quarterfinals of the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament in the Chinese capital Beijing with a prize pool of $9.4 million. The 2023 champion and eighth-seeded Polish tennis player demonstrated excellent form and prevailed over the tenth seed Iva Jovic (USA) 6:1, 6:3 in 96 minutes of play, after winning the first five and last four games of the match.
After the match, Swiontek shared her satisfaction with her aggressive play and the change in rhythm, adding that with each victory she gains more and more self-confidence, although tennis requires full mobilization every day.
In the dispute for a place in the semifinals, the Pole will face the 13th seed Elise Mertens. The Belgian created the big surprise of the day after eliminating the third seed and reigning champion of 2024 Coco Gauff (USA) with a decisive 6:3, 6:3 in 80 minutes. Mertens thus reached the quarterfinals for the first time in her seventh appearance in Beijing and broke a streak of five consecutive losses against the American.
The match was marked by serious fluctuations in Gauff's game, who made as many as 34 unforced errors, eight of which were doubles on serve, and at the end of the match she admitted to her staff that she had no energy left.