Iga Swiatek looks ready to fight for a strong ending to her struggling season.
In swift fashion, the six-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 took down Gao Xinyu 6-2, 6-3 on Diamond Court in the second round of the China Open.
By her lofty standards of dominance and consistency, Swiatek has had a rocky 2026. The 25-year-old Pole did not make it past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam this year, ending a run of four consecutive seasons with a Grand Slam win. She has won one title this year, capturing her 12th WTA 1000 title in Toronto.
Despite stumbles, Swiatek hopes her win over Gao pushes her in the right direction.
“My season wasn’t super positive, so I feel there’s a lot of space to go up,” she said. “It was a solid match. For sure a good start. I’m happy to be back here.”
One goal on Swiatek’s mind is to qualify for the WTA Finals. She is currently 10th in the race to make it to Indian Wells later this year and needs to move up at least two spots to play in the tournament.
“For sure that’s the goal,” she said. “I’m going to be fighting for that.”
If she has a smooth run in Beijing, she would be in good shape to turn that into reality.
The former World No. 1 is working hard to extend her streak of five consecutive WTA Finals appearances. Even with qualification looming, she is focusing on what’s immediately in front of her.
“I try to just take it step by step,” Swiatek said. “This is where I perform my best. I’ve never been in this position, so for sure it’s another experience in my career.”
Swiatek is making her third appearance in the China Open, winning in 2023 but falling in the Round of 16 last year.
The crowd was more than happy to welcome her back as roars of “Let’s go Iga” filled the stands throughout the match.
From the start, Gao attempted to match Swiatek's form, but the former champion was just too strong. Gao broke Swiatek’s serve in Game 2 of the first set but was unable to do so again.
Swiatek pushed past Gao as she forced her opponent to face eight break points in the under two-hour match.
Despite the loss, Gao can hold her head up high.
“Actually, I’m really proud of myself,” she said. “Like against previous No. 1 in the world with six Grand Slam titles and I can take five games. … I’m really happy for that.”
With her win over Gao, ranked 244 in the world, Swiatek continues her quest for a second title in Beijing. She will face No. 30 seed Donna Vekic from Croatia on Monday.
By Maggie Bane
Weibo@ChinaOpen
WeChat Channel
Douyin@ChinaOpen
