Poland’s Iga Świątek has advanced to the quarter finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid. The 21-year-old athlete, set at number one, won on Monday night against Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (No. 16) 6:4, 6:7 (3-7), 6:3.

Tennis: Iga Świątek defends her Stuttgart title

Iga Świątek, the world’s first racket, easily defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4, on Sunday to win the Stuttgart Open and solidify her position as…

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The game, particularly hard for the Polish star, lasted two hours and 27 minutes.

“It wasn’t easy. I rarely play at such a late hour. I slept a little during the day to be more rested in the evening. I don’t look at the ladder. That’s why I didn’t know who I would play against in the next round,” Świątek said immediately after the match.

In the first round of the tournament in Madrid, Świątek had a so-called free draw, in the second round she won against Austrian Julia Grabher 6:3, 6:2, and in the third round against American Bernarda Pera (No. 28) 6:3, 6:2.

Got there in the end 👏@iga_swiatek survives a shaky second set to overcome Alexandrova to reach her maiden quarterfinal in Madrid!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/RTgX6xr0We

— wta (@WTA) May 1, 2023

The Polish superstar went to the Spanish capital fresh from defending her title in Stuttgart.

Świątek’s rival in the quarter finals on Wednesday will be 32-year-old Croatian Petra Martić (No. 27), who defeated Czech Barbora Krejčíková (11) 6:1, 7:6 (7-1) in the third round.