Iga Świątek, who entered the WTA 1000 Miami Open as the second seed, faced a heavy loss in her opening match against former world No. 19 Magda Linette, ending her 73-match opening win streak. The loss drew views from American star Danielle Collins, who highlighted several reasons for Świątek’s early exit and emphasized that there is no need to stress about her run ahead.
Danielle Collins Weighs In on Iga Świątek’s Miami Open Upset
Świątek competed at the Miami Open after playing impressively at the Indian Wells Open, defeating Kayla Day, Maria Sakkari, and Karolína Muchová in the round of 16 in straight sets. Her spirited run ended against Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal, thus concluding her title campaign at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
At Hard Rock Stadium, the Polish sensation was set to face Linette, whom she last defeated in the round of 16 at the 2023 China Open. Despite her status as one of the top seeds, Świątek stunned all by falling to her fellow Polish contender in a dramatic upset, with the final score reading 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
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Świątek dominated the first set but couldn’t overcome Linette in the last, tasting defeat in a match that lasted two hours and 10 minutes. Even though the former lost the match and ended her notable winning streak dating back to 2021, Collins expressed her belief in her abilities as an elite player, noting the key factors behind the loss and highlighting areas where Świątek can sharpen her game.
The American talent, who joined the Tennis Channel’s desk at the tournament, mentioned, as per their X post:
“She’s a former Grand Slam champion multiple times and former world number one. When she’s on, she’s easily the best player in the world. We know that. And so with her success, I wouldn’t panic too much over this. It is a big win for Linette. There’s probably some things they need to address mentally and technically on the forehand. You can’t panic too much when you’ve been a world number one and won that many Grand Slams.”
We’re breaking down Iga Swiatek’s opening round loss to Magda Linette 🫢 #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/A0lzfHzoex
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 20, 2026
Collins also pointed out that rainy weather, which led to multiple match cancellations and disrupted players’ practice routines, could have played a key role in Świątek’s defeat, as she couldn’t get the complete practice time she needed.
She expressed, while also highlighting Linette’s confident mindset and aggressive play:
“It’s interesting conditions here in Miami. There were so many days where we had rain. It was really difficult for players to get practice court time. Iga is someone that works really hard. She puts in a ton of hours on court. Maybe not having as much practice leading up to this event, maybe gotten to her head a little bit. And Linette, having nothing to lose and playing pretty freely, went after it. So it was just a little bit of an unfortunate timing.”
Linette advances in Miami, set to challenge Filipino star Alexandra Eala in the round of 32, while also teaming up with Ann Li for an exciting doubles campaign.
