Madison Keys opened her quarterfinal clash at the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open with a bang—serving Iga Swiatek her first bagel in nearly four years. But instead of derailing the defending champion, the stunning 0-6 first set only served to ignite her comeback fire.
Swiatek regrouped, reset, and roared back with a 0-6 6-3 6-2 victory, avenging one of her most painful losses of the year and extending her unbeaten streak in Madrid to 10 matches.
A bagel with a side of motivation
Before today, the last time Swiatek was bageled was in June 2021, on the grass courts of Eastbourne by Daria Kasatkina. On clay, the last 6-0 set she dropped came way back at Roland Garros 2019 against Simona Halep—when she was ranked outside the Top 100.
So when Keys delivered the rare bakery item in the opening set—flawless and dominant—it was shocking. But it also served as the turning point.
This wasn’t just any match. It was a rematch of their epic Australian Open semifinal earlier this year, where Swiatek held match point but ultimately fell in three heartbreaking sets to Keys, who went on to win her first major.
Today in Madrid, Swiatek made sure the ending was different.
A clay queen finds her rhythm
Despite the lopsided start, Swiatek quickly regrouped in the second set. From 1-1, she rattled off four straight games to surge ahead 5-1, then wrapped up the set 6-3. Suddenly, momentum had swung—and Keys’ trademark forehand, so dangerous early on, was neutralized by the Pole.
In the decider, the two were locked at 2-2 before Swiatek once again shifted gears, launching into another four-game run to seal the win in one hour and 46 minutes.
Dominance restored
With this win, Swiatek improves to 4-0 against Keys on clay and secures her 10th consecutive victory in Madrid. Before today, she hadn’t dropped a set to Keys on the surface. The fightback underscores why she remains one of the most feared players on clay—resilient, ruthless, and mentally unshakable.
Swiatek now knows her semifinal opponent: Coco Gauff, who defeated Mirra Andreeva 7-5 6-1 in the youngest WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2009. The 2023 US Open champion will renew her rivalry with Swiatek in what promises to be a blockbuster semifinal. While Swiatek leads their head-to-head 11-3, Gauff remains one of her most determined and steadily improving challengers.
Women’s Tennis Blog