Iga Swiatek Shockingly Retires Mid-Match in Madrid

Tennis fans noticed that Iga Swiatek did not look well early in her match against Ann Li in the Round of 32 at the Mutua Madrid Open earlier today.

Her gastrointestinal issues worsened after two hard-fought sets, and Swiatek decided she could not play any longer during the decider. Li defeated Swiatek in three sets: 7-6 (4), 2-6, 3-0 ret.

An upset could very well be brewing in Madrid 🫖

Ann Li takes the first set in a tiebreak vs No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek 👀#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/Wq4t67ryaS
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 25, 2026

Down 5-6 in the first set, Li saved two set points before ultimately winning the tiebreak with three consecutive points 7-4. However, Swiatek jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, winning 16 of 21 points. The Polish superstar won the second set in 39 minutes.

Despite looking strong in the second set, Swiatek visibly ran out of gas in the decider. She called a medical timeout due to her illness. She returned to the court where Li held serve, and Swiatek bowed out. She congratulated her opponent and shook hands with the chair umpire before walking off the court in tears.

Second set ➡️ Swiatek@iga_swiatek takes it 6-2 to force a third set against Li!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/gvHOY6Vumo
— wta (@WTA) April 25, 2026

Of course, this is disappointing for Swiatek and her fans. The six-time Grand Slam champion was once untouchable on clay. However, she failed to defend her titles last year and has not won more than one match in the two clay court tournaments she has played so far this spring.

Swiatek is currently the WTA World No. 4 with a singles record of 14-8 with zero titles. Her spot in the WTA Rankings is likely safe, but the fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula was just over 1,000 points behind Swiatek before the start of the WTA 1000 Madrid.

Iga Świątek is forced to retire against Ann Li in the third round 😓#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/0QSfW6mLYf
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 25, 2026

Meanwhile, this is a massive victory for Li. She is the World No. 34 with a singles record of 9-10. She will face the 24-seed Leylah Fernandez in the Round of 16 on Monday, April 27. Earlier today, Fernandez picked up a big victory against the 15-seed Iva Jovic.

Per stats from the WTA, today marks Li's second top-ten win in 12 opportunities, and the highest-ranked win in her career. Li's last top-ten win was more than four years ago at the Miami Open. Additionally, this is Li's fifth career victory over a former Grand Slam champion on the WTA Tour.

Swiatek says she has been feeling sick but still tried to play through it like she did multiple times in the past.

“I hope to be good in a couple of days, but it’s definitely disappointing.” https://t.co/alD1TQTR2r
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 25, 2026

According to José Morgado, Swiatek has felt sick but tried to play through it. Swiatek said, "I hope to be good in a couple of days, but it's definitely disappointing."

The 2026 Mutua Madrid Open runs from April 22 to May 3. The iconic clay court tournament is held at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain. Last year, Sabalenka defeated Gauff in the final to win the prestigious event. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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