Iga Swiatek’s US Open run ended in the fourth round, 5-7. 3-6, but the former champion will not have to wait too long for another chance to turn things around. After a straight-sets loss to Qinwen Zheng in New York, Swiatek has now learned where she will return to competition. And it will come with a little more time to reset first.

“Iga Swiatek will return to action in Beijing. Now, a few days of rest and training time—I was told by Iga’s manager, Daria Sulgostowska,” columnist Dominik Senkowski posted on X. 

Senkowski added that the China Open begins on September 30 and that it remains interesting to see whether Francisco Roig will travel with Swiatek or if another coach will join her, something she had hinted at earlier in the summer.

It has been a frustrating year at the majors for the Pole. The Australian Open gave her a quarterfinal, but she could not get beyond the fourth round at Roland Garros. Wimbledon ended even earlier, in the third round, and Zheng has now stopped her in the fourth round in New York. For the first time since 2021, Swiatek will go through an entire season without winning a Grand Slam.

Still, Swiatek did not sound like someone ready to shut down her season after the defeat. When asked whether she might end her year early to spend more time working with Roig, she was pretty clear in her answer. 

“I don’t intend to stop; I know I can improve my game. This second part of the season is better for me anyway,” Swiatek said in the US Open post-match conference. 

With Singapore off her schedule, Beijing will be Swiatek’s next tournament, and she knows the place well. She won the China Open in 2023 after beating Liudmila Samsonova in the final, then did not play there the following year. She was back in Beijing last season, although her run ended in the fourth round.

The Asian swing could be a good time for Swiatek to find her game again, because some of her biggest results have come during this part of the calendar, including her Beijing, Seoul and San Diego titles in recent seasons.

Another important reason for the later events is that Swiatek is currently No. 10 in the WTA Finals race and would miss the season-ending event if the standings remain unchanged. She is behind Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova, with the latter also having a strong claim because of her Wimbledon title.

The China Open could therefore become more than just Swiatek’s return from her US Open heartbreak.

The tournament runs from September 30 through October 11 and carries WTA 1000 status, with $9.41 million in prize money. Amanda Anisimova is the defending champion, although she will arrive in Beijing after losing to Anastasia Potapova in the third round at the US Open.

If Anisimova and Swiatek meet again, there will be an obvious subplot. Swiatek routed her 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final last year, although Anisimova still leads their overall head-to-head 2-1.

For Swiatek, though, the bigger objective is simple. She has three weeks to reset, train, and work on the problems that have followed her through the majors. Beijing will give her another chance to change the direction of a season that has not gone according to plan.