Fasten your seatbelts! The ‘Queen of Clay’ is all set to step onto the courts of Madrid yet again on Tuesday. Iga Swiatek will face the Brazilian tennis star, Beatriz Haddad Maia, in the QF clash of the Mutua Madrid Open. Swiatek took a full day off Sunday. She went out shopping and even had a seafood feast before pouncing on her prey on Monday. She defeated Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in her previous match to make way for the QF. But unfortunately for the Polish tennis star, she had very little time to recover ahead of his match against the Brazilian.

Beatriz Haddad Maia will step onto the court after her emphatic victory over the world number 6, Maria Sakkari in the R16 of the Madrid Open. She hasn’t dropped a single set in this tournament so far. Can she keep her record intact against the world number one?

Iga Swiatek vs Beatriz Haddad Maia: Preview

Iga Swiatek has already won two titles this season. She will be now looking forward to grabbing her third before entering her den at Roland Garros in just a few weeks from now. Swiatek has showcased some dominating performances throughout the tournament so far. She has in fact lost only eight games on her way to the second QF in Madrid. Iga Swiatek hasn’t lost more than one game in five of her six sets so far in this tournament. She’ll be now eyeing for yet another dominating performance against the number 14.

Swiatek defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo by 6-1,6-0 in her previous match. But surprisingly, she failed to hit even a single ace throughout the match! Iga Swiatek committed only one double fault against the Spaniard and her first serve win percentage was 75%. But it dropped to 69% on her second serve. However, she managed to convert six of nine breakpoints in that match. Haddad Maia is a solid clay court player, it’ll be interesting to see how quickly Swiatek can get a hold of the QF match against the Brazilian.

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Talking about Beatriz Haddad Maia, well she has a huge mountain to climb to progress further into the tournament in Madrid. Her best results this year came at the Abu Dhabi Open where she reached the SF. However, in Madrid, she has already defeated some of the big names of the current era. In her last match, Haddad Maia defeated Sakkari by 6-4,6-4. Throughout the match, she hit three aces and committed six double faults against the Greek tennis star. Her first serve win percentage was 70% while it was just 54% on the second serve. Haddad Maia converted four of her nine breakpoints in that match. Can she fully convert her chances against Swiatek?

If we look at their records for the 2024 season, Iga Swiatek has hit more aces (49) compared to Beatriz Haddad Maia (34) so far this year. The Polish tennis star has won 82.6% of her service games and only 44.6% of her return games this season so far. On the other hand, the Brazilian has won 71% of her service games and just 28.6% of her return games. It will be interesting to see if Haddad Maia can improve her numbers significantly against number one. But that’s definitely not going to be a piece of cake!

Swiatek vs Haddad Maia: Head-to-head

Both the tennis stars have met each other on three occasions in their careers so far. Currently, Iga Swiatek leads the H2H with a 2-1 margin. But it was Beatriz Haddad Maia who had the upper hand in their very first meeting at the Canadian Open in 2022. She defeated Iga Swiatek in a three-set thriller at that time. But the Polish tennis star made a comeback on the grand stage a year later. Iga Swiatek defeated the Brazilian by 6-2,7-6 at the SF of the 2023 French Open. Cometh the clay, cometh the Queen? 

Well, then let me tell you, Swiatek snatched the victory against Haddad Maia this year at the United Cup as well. However, the French Open clash remains the most remarkable match between these two tennis stars. However, if we look at numbers, Iga Swiatek managed to hit only a single ace compared to zero aces by Beatriz Haddad Maia in the SF clash. Swiatek had committed four double faults but Haddad Maia committed just a single double fault in the entire match. The Polish superstar had the edge in the first serve win percentage but it was the Brazilian who got the upper hand in the second serve.

Interestingly, Iga Swiatek converted all of her four break points in that match. But Beatriz Haddad Maia could only manage two of her seven breakpoints. Who will have the last laugh in this QF clash in Madrid?

Prediction: Iga Swiatek to win in two sets

Iga Swiatek on clay is a force to reckon with! She has won four Grand Slam titles in her career and out of her four, three came at the French Open. Her win-loss record for this season is 26-4 while Beatriz Haddad Maia has a win-loss record of 10-11 so far this season. Swiatek’s aggressive all-court style of play will be the biggest challenge for the 27-year-old left-handed Brazilian. Iga Swiatek reached the finals of the Madrid Open last year. She will be looking forward to repeating a similar long run this time around as well!

Swiatek describes her playing style on clay court as “a big serve, topspin and backhand down the line.” To counter all these lethal weapons, Haddad Maia needs to be on her toes every time and convert even the tiniest of her chances in the game. If she manages to do so, only then she can provide a tough challenge against the world number one. Else, it’s going to be a one-sided battle!