Iga Swiatek’s Madrid Open campaign ended abruptly Saturday when the Polish star retired from her third-round match against American Ann Li because of illness.
Li advanced to the round of 16 with Swiatek trailing 7-6 (4), 2-6, 3-0, giving the world No. 34 the biggest win of her career and her second career victory over a Top 10 opponent. Swiatek, the 2024 Madrid champion, left the court in tears after taking a medical timeout early in the deciding set.
The fourth seed had been battling physical problems during the match and later said she had been dealing with a virus for two days.
“The past two days were pretty terrible,” Swiatek said, adding that she had “zero energy, zero stability” during the match.
The exit was a difficult one for Swiatek, who had looked capable of turning the match around after dropping a tight opening set. Li took the first set in a tiebreak after both players had chances late in the set, but Swiatek responded strongly in the second, racing to a 4-0 lead and closing it out 6-2.
The momentum did not last. Li broke early in the third set as Swiatek’s movement and energy level dropped. The Pole received medical attention while trailing 2-0, returned to the court, but could not continue after Li held for 3-0.
Li, who had to earn her way through a difficult opening set, said afterward she was sorry to see the match end that way but proud of how she competed. The American will face Leylah Fernandez in the fourth round.
For Swiatek, the retirement adds another complication to her clay-court season. Madrid has been an important stop in her buildup toward Roland Garros, where she has been one of the dominant players of her generation. The illness now interrupts her preparation with the Italian Open in Rome and the French Open still ahead.
Swiatek had opened her Madrid campaign with a straight-sets win over Daria Snigur, but Saturday’s match never fully settled into a normal rhythm. She fought through the first two sets, showed flashes of her usual intensity, then faded physically in the third.
The result gives Li one of the biggest moments of her career. Her previous Top 10 victory came more than four years ago against Anett Kontaveit in Miami. Beating Swiatek, even by retirement, puts her into the Madrid last 16 and gives her another chance to make a deeper run at a WTA 1000 event.
Swiatek is expected to reassess her condition before deciding her next step. Rome remains the next major clay-court stop before Roland Garros begins in late May.
