Iga Swiatek bagelled: Emma Navarro's dominant third set seals upset victory at China Open

Emma Navarro earned a remarkable victory over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open, eliminating the top favorite with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. The American secures her third win against a Top-2 player and her first ever against the Pole, reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 for the first time this season.

The World No. 17 achieved one of the best wins of her career and defeated Swiatek for the first time. The Pole had a particularly error-ridden performance, ending her six-match winning streak and making an early exit in Beijing. Navarro delivered a stunning bagel (6-0) in the decisive set, frustrating the ambitions of the top title favorite.

Navarro edges tight opening set

The first set started quickly, with Swiatek saving several break points in the opening game before capitalizing on her first opportunity in the next game to go up 2-0. However, Navarro maintained her composure and immediately broke back to level the set.

The American then won a streak of four consecutive games, securing two breaks in three opportunities, and took a decisive lead against a Swiatek far from her usual rhythm. The Pole struggled to find her first serve, but it wasn't enough to breach Navarro's service games. The World No. 17 held onto her serve and finished the set 6-4 after 50 minutes.

Swiatek fights back to force a decider

It had been an erratic first set for the Pole, who continued to struggle to find her rhythm at the start of the second set. Navarro again secured a break in the third game, but Swiatek quickly responded to break back and maintain parity. The set progressed without either player managing to take a clear advantage until the final stages.

With the score at 5-4 in favor of Swiatek, pressure points arrived for Navarro, and the Pole showed composure to take her first break chance and claim the set 6-4. Swiatek showed clear improvements on her serve, hitting six aces and winning 70% of points on her second serve.

Navarro blanks Swiatek to seal quarterfinal spot

The third set started in the best possible way for the American, who surprised the six-time major champion by breaking her twice consecutively and holding two service games to race ahead 4-0. Everything was in Navarro's favor; she only needed one final push to close out the victory and successfully maintained her lead.

The 24-year-old American didn't hesitate in the final part, securing her third consecutive break against an error-prone Swiatek and closing out the win on her serve 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 after two and a half hours. The American achieved her best win in two years and reached the final four of a WTA 1000 for the first time this season.

Match Statistics Swiatek vs. Navarro

Swiatek fails to close gap on Sabalenka after Beijing defeat

Iga Swiatek bids farewell to the China Open with a painful defeat, squandering an opportunity to close the gap on Aryna Sabalenka in the race for World No. 1 in the final part of the year. The Pole was coming off a title win at the WTA 500 Korea Open a week ago, but her streak came to an end this Wednesday against Navarro, against whom she had two prior victories.

On the other side, Navarro secures her best result in a WTA 1000 event this season and awaits her quarterfinal opponent: the winner between Jessica Pegula (5th) and Marta Kostyuk (23rd). Additionally, Navarro guarantees her return to the Top-15, positioning her as World No. 14 in the live rankings.