Swiatek Rallies Past Kalinskaya to Reach US Open Round of 16

Iga Swiatek stormed back from a 5-1 deficit to defeat Anna Kalinskaya at the US Open, advancing to the Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive year.

Key Points

• Iga Swiatek defeated No. 29 seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (2), 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

• The match lasted 1 hour and 56 minutes on Saturday night.

• Swiatek trailed 5-1 in the first set and saved four set points before winning.

• The victory marks her 23rd career main-draw win at the US Open.

• Swiatek will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round on Monday.

A Comeback to Remember

At Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday night, Iga Swiatek produced a stirring turnaround to advance once again at the US Open. Overcoming a difficult opening set, the former World No. 1 fought past No. 29 seed Anna Kalinskaya with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 triumph. The third-round battle lasted 1 hour and 56 minutes and secured Swiatek a place in the Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive year.

Swiatek fell behind 5-1 in the opening set and faced four set points. But she rallied, winning six of the next seven games before dominating the tiebreak. Carrying that surge into the second set, she closed the match in straight sets.

Afterward, Swiatek admitted even she could not explain the turnaround. “Oh, my God, I don’t know,” she said. “Honestly, Anna was playing great. She was getting all these risky balls in like she once did against me in Dubai. So, I just wanted to make less mistakes, because I felt like I was playing well. I felt like I had nothing to lose because I was losing pretty badly. So, at the end (of the first set) I just went for it, because what more can I do?”

Serving Struggles Decide the Match

Kalinskaya’s strong start unraveled as her serve faltered in key moments. She recorded 11 double faults, including critical errors when serving for the first set on three separate occasions. By the time the players entered the tiebreak, she had already committed seven.

Swiatek also faced challenges on serve, connecting on just over 43% of her first serves. However, she won 76% of those points and was successful on half of her second serves — a rate 14 percentage points higher than Kalinskaya’s. In the second set, Swiatek faced only two break points and stayed in control as her opponent’s service woes continued.

Tiebreak Breakthrough

Tiebreaks have often been a stumbling block for Swiatek this season. Entering the match, she held a 4-7 record in WTA-level tiebreaks in 2025 and was 0-2 in Grand Slam tiebreaks. Her 7-2 victory in Saturday’s first-set tiebreak marked her first at a major this year and her first overall since beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Bad Homburg quarterfinals in June.

What’s Next

Swiatek now advances to face Alexandrova again in the fourth round on Monday. She leads their head-to-head series 5-2 at the WTA level. Swiatek won their most recent contest in Bad Homburg, while Alexandrova claimed victory in their last hard-court meeting in Miami last year.

A win would propel Swiatek into her third career quarterfinal at the US Open.