Clay has always been Iga Swiatek’s kingdom. But in Madrid, the queen was dethroned, and in just 64 minutes. After a lukewarm start to the season—22 wins from 28 matches but no finals appearances, she was expected to turn things around on her favorite surface. However, Coco Gauff delivered a statement win over the defending champion, taking down the former World No. 1 with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 scoreline. Naturally, it was a heavy blow for her.

Gauff, who had once trailed 1-11 in their head-to-head, now finds herself riding a three-match winning streak against the player who once had her number. Coming into the match at Caja Magica, the 21-year-old had already defeated Swiatek in their last two meetings at the WTA Finals and the United Cup. But this one? This was different. This one was on Swiatek’s turf. They had met 5 times on clay before, with the Pole winning all the encounters in straight sets. However, the American was all business today. She won 57 of 83 points, cracked six aces, and faced zero break points. On first serve, she dropped just two points. Eighteen winners, only four unforced errors.

Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, never found her footing. Her seven winners were overshadowed by 21 unforced errors. Visibly frustrated, the 23-year-old was seen yelling at her box. The chair umpire heard the tail end of it and gave her a violation for audible obscenity. Later, her emotions spilled over. Three games into the second set, the camera caught a raw moment— the World No.2 was fighting back tears during the changeover, the pressure of the match clearly weighing on her.

As the No. 2 seed, Swiatek has had a tough time defending her title, grinding through three-set battles against Alexandra Eala, Diana Shnaider, and Madison Keys. In fact, at her quarterfinal match against Madison Keys, the 30-year-old served the Pole her first bagel since 2021. While she’s managed to reach at least the quarterfinals in every tournament she’s played this year, the five-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t made a final since 2024, when she clinched her fourth Roland Garros title.

After the match, Swiatek said, “Today, for sure, everything collapsed tennis-wise. I feel like I wasn’t even in the right place with my feet before the shots. I wish I would have moved better because I think that would give me an opportunity to bounce back.”

The 5-time Grand Slam champion had previously revealed the emotional toll the past months have taken on her.

Iga Swiatek opens up on her emotional state

In a candid social media post shared in March, Iga Swiatek offered a raw account of the emotional turbulence she’s faced in recent months. The message touched on everything from public criticism and shifting perceptions to a doping suspension and the toll it took on her mental health.

The 23-year-old also opened up about the online backlash she received after hitting a ball in frustration during a match at the Indian Wells—an incident where the ball narrowly missed a ball boy. The moment sparked widespread criticism, something Swiatek addressed head-on. “I clearly see how much [people] love judging, creating theories, and imposing opinions on others,” she wrote.

Her post also pointed to the double standards that follow her every move. “When I’m highly focused and don’t show many emotions on court, I’m called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman. Now that I’m more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I’m suddenly labeled immature or hysterical,” Swiatek said. “That’s not a healthy standard — especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn’t want to step on the court.”

Part of the emotional weight stems from a doping case last year. In August, Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned heart medication, in an out-of-competition drug test. The International Tennis Integrity Agency later accepted her explanation: that the result came from contaminated melatonin supplements she had been using for jet lag and sleep issues. The case was resolved publicly in late November. She had already missed three tournaments due to a provisional suspension in October and served a one-month ban during the offseason.

Now, with the Madrid Open behind her and an emotional weight laid bare, Swiatek will look to reset at the Italian Open, where she is the defending champion. But with mounting pressure and form still out of sync, can she find her spark before Roland Garros arrives?