Magda Linette caused a major upset by defeating former champion Iga Świątek in the second round of the 2026 Miami Open. This match marked their second meeting on the WTA Tour, with Linette now equalizing their head-to-head record at 1-1. This loss also ended Świątek’s impressive streak of 73 consecutive opening-round match wins.
Magda Linette Opens Up About Defeating Iga Świątek at the 2026 Miami Open
Świątek, seeded second at the 2026 Miami Open, began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She faced compatriot Linette in her opening match and won the first set 6-1. However, the former World No. 19 staged a remarkable comeback, winning the next two sets to claim victory, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, after two hours and 10 minutes of play.
Following her victory, Linette spoke with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj. She attributed her success against Świątek to her improved serve and to maintaining focus during the match, which allowed her to stay “ahead” at all times.
“Well, I felt that I’m playing better than last time, and I have a little bit of a better idea of what to do. I was also serving better than last time, and I was just trying to focus, do something to hold myself first, get a little bit more ahead, and keep being ahead all the time. She didn’t really give me any time, and I just had to go for a little bit more. I had to start hitting a little bit faster to push her a little bit more back,” Linette said.
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The former World No. 19 mentioned that she performed well overall and didn’t make many mistakes, which contributed to her win. She also revealed that she felt less “nervous” than usual during the match and that a bit of luck was on her side.
“She actually gets really good on those, break points down, match points down, she starts swinging, she’s way less passive. So I didn’t do too much wrong. I just knew that I had to stay strong on my serve. I was really trusting my serve today, especially in the third set. So, I wasn’t as nervous, but definitely the hitting could have been better on that match point because I got a bit lucky,” she continued.
Linette expressed that after her early exit at Indian Wells, she took the opportunity to rest, physically prepare, and concentrate on the Miami Open.
“I got a little bit of time to rest, and I just felt a bit more dialed in. Right now, physically, it’s a bit easier than mentally, because mentally it’s such a fine line when you start dropping, and then those players really use it so quickly,” Linette added.
Looking ahead, Linette is set to face the 31st seed Alexandra Eala in the third round of the tournament. The Filipina advanced to the third round by defeating Laura Siegemund with a score of 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-3 in her opening match.
Linette and Eala have faced each other three times on the WTA Tour, with the Pole winning two of those matches. Their most recent encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2026 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, where Eala defeated Eala 6-3, 6-2.
The winner of the third-round match between Linette and Eala will advance to face either 13th seed Karolína Muchová, 17th seed Clara Tauson, Katie Boulter, or Camila Osorio in the fourth round of the tournament.
