Iga Swiatek defeated Daria Snigur, 6-1, 6-2, in the second round of the 2026 Madrid Open.
The scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story, though, as Swiatek looked shaky at times against the world number 98.
She even fell 0-2 down in the second set as the Ukrainian threatened to cause an upset.
Are you more or less confident that Iga Swiatek can win the Madrid Open now?
She is a former champion…
Fighting back, Swiatek secured the win in straight sets, but left plenty of questions unanswered…
Colin Fleming was intrigued by the amount of info Iga Swiatek received from her team
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, former doubles star Colin Fleming delivered his verdict on Swiatek’s 6-1, 6-2 win.
“It’s fair to say Iga Swiatek [was] not tested today,” he said.
“It’s hard to know where she is really at.
“Intriguing for me is that there felt like there was a lot of info coming from her team.
“Francisco Roig and her psychologist, so things we will keep an eye on throughout the tournament, but tougher tests lie ahead, that’s for sure.”
Roig joined Swiatek’s team ahead of the clay-court season and guided her to one win and one defeat at the Stuttgart Open last time out.
The Spaniard hasn’t had long to work with the six-time Grand Slam champion and is clearly trying to teach her as much as possible, as quickly as he can.
Fleming continued, highlighting what Swiatek did well during her win over Snigur.
“I thought she served nicely today,” he said.
“One ace on a break point springs to mind.
Iga Swiatek vs Daria Snigur – Match stats
| Stats | Iga Swiatek | Daria Snigur |
| Aces | 2 | 1 |
| Double faults | 1 | 5 |
| 1st Serve % | 70% | 56% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 78% | 45% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 40% | 55% |
| Break points | 5/6 | 1/6 |
“Her percentage was good.
“I wouldn’t say it was like a step change, in terms of the serve stood out as being brilliant, I’d say other areas of her game were a bit more erratic than you’d expect.”
Fleming wasn’t entirely convinced by Swiatek’s performance, but what did she have to say?
“Very happy,” said Swiatek.
“Madrid is a special place to play because of how special the tournament is but also because of the conditions. I am happy I was able to adapt to them and just played my game.
“You need to be ready for opponents to take time away, but at the same time you need to be solid and not rush decisions because it’s easy to lose control, so I stayed patient and solid and picked the right balls.”
Iga Swiatek’s American challenge in the third round of the Madrid Open
Defeating Snigur in straight sets, Swiatek booked her place in the third round, where she will meet either Alycia Parks or Ann Li.
Swiatek will be expected to beat whichever American she meets, although her record against players from the United States leaves a lot to be desired…
Iga Swiatek’s record vs American players (Last 12 months)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Indian Wells – 2R | Iga Swiatek | Kayla Day | 6-0, 7-6 |
| 2026 United Cup – SF | Coco Gauff | Iga Swiatek | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2025 WTA Finals – RR | Amanda Anisimova | Iga Swiatek | 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2025 WTA Finals – RR | Iga Swiatek | Madison Keys | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2025 China Open – 4R | Emma Navarro | Iga Swiatek | 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 |
| 2025 US Open – QF | Amanda Anisimova | Iga Swiatek | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – F | Iga Swiatek | Amanda Anisimova | 6-0, 6-0 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – 3R | Iga Swiatek | Danielle Collins | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – 2R | Iga Swiatek | Caty McNally | 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2025 Bad Homburg Open – F | Jessica Pegula | Iga Swiatek | 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2025 Italian Open – 3R | Danielle Collins | Iga Swiatek | 6-1, 7-5 |
Swiatek is 5-6 against American players over the last year.
She will be keen to tie that ‘head-to-head’ at 6-6, when she returns for her third-round match in Madrid.
Swiatek will play Li or Parks in the third round on Saturday, April 25.
