Iga Swiatek lost her opening match at a WTA event for the first time in 74 matches, and the player who did it was none other than fellow Polish star Magda Linette. In an all-Polish match at the Miami Open on Thursday, the second seed went down 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 after the World No. 50, Linette, brought her comeback show. Now, for those who don’t know much about the giant killer, let’s have a look at her journey and achievements.
Swiatek, like the rest of the top 32 players in the field, received a first-round bye. Her opening-match winning streak featured trips to the quarterfinals or further in each of the past six majors, including a title run at Wimbledon last year, her sixth career Grand Slam crown.
After cruising through the first set, Swiatek struggled the rest of the way. She earned just one break point total in the second and third sets and couldn’t convert.
“I stopped doing anything well tactically,” Swiatek said. “… It just was a bad match for me in the second and third sets. Unconsciously, or consciously, it’s hard for me to say. I need to work to get back from that, because I haven’t felt things like that for like five years.
Linette told Tennis Channel, “I just had to go for a little bit more. I had to start hitting a little bit faster, too, to push her a little bit more back, not give her space. But I think it all started with serving a bit better.”
Linette advances to a third-round match against 31st-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. Eala also escaped a one-set hole, beating Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-3. The Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova, seeded 32nd, trounced France’s Elsa Jacquemot 6-2, 6-2 in a second-round match.
Who is Magda Linette? The Polish Who Ended Swiatek’s Run in Miami
Magda Linette is a 34-year-old Polish tennis player who has quietly been putting in the work for years. She turned professional back in 2009 and has stayed consistent, spending over a decade inside the Top 100. Her career-high ranking came in March 2023, when she reached World No.19.
In 2019 she won her first WTA title at the inaugural Bronx Open. What made it special was her journey as she started as a qualifier, won three matches just to enter the main draw, and then went on to beat top players. In the final, she came from a set down to defeat Camila Giorgi 5-7, 7-5, 6-4.
Magda followed that up with her second title in 2020 at the Thailand Open, where she dominated the tournament and beat Leonie Kung 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Her most recent and third title came in 2024 at the Prague Open, where she defeated fellow Polish player Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1 in what was the first all-Polish final in the Open Era.
Apart from singles, Linette has also done well in doubles. She won two titles in 2022, one at Charleston with Andreja Klepac and another at Eastbourne with Aleksandra Krunic.
She has also reached five other finals, including a runner-up finish at the 2024 Rouen Open. But her best Grand Slam performance came in 2023, when she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.
And now, this Miami Open win could turn out to be one of the biggest moments of her career. Not only did she beat a top player, but she also got a bit of redemption. The last time she faced Iga Swiatek, she suffered a heavy 6-1, 6-1 loss at the China Open in 2023. This time, she turned the tables in a way that tennis fans will remeber for years.
(With Reuters Input)
