Iga Świątek edges Marie Bouzková in two tie-breaks to reach US Open fourth round

Two tie-breaks on Grandstand

Eighth seed Iga Świątek advanced to the fourth round of the US Open after defeating 25th seed Marie Bouzková 7-6(3), 7-6(3) on Saturday. The contest on the Grandstand court lasted 2 hours and 26 minutes (147 minutes) in swirling wind conditions. In her opening two rounds in New York, Świątek had conceded five games each against Xiyu Wang and Nadia Podoroska. The meeting with Bouzková proved far more demanding, with Świątek committing 34 unforced errors before steadying her baseline play. The victory extended Świątek's career head-to-head record against the Czech player to 4-0, with Bouzková still having never taken a set off her across their four meetings.

It was definitely a very difficult, physical match, sometimes I attacked hard, I pressed, because she defended great. That was not easy, also because of the wind.

Defending set points in both sets

The opening set saw Świątek drop her serve in the first game before breaking back immediately. Bouzková broke again at 5-5 to serve for the set, but Świątek saved a set point, broke back to force a tie-break, and took it 7-3. In the second set, Bouzková opened a 3-0 lead, while Świątek later trailed 2-4 before leveling the score. Serving at 5-6, Świątek faced three set points in an extended 12th game, defending each with forehands near the sideline to reach another tie-break. Świątek won the second tie-break 7-3 and concluded the match by clenching her fist and shouting on court.

Summer momentum under Roig

The win marked Świątek's 13th victory in 14 matches since the start of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto. Świątek won the tournament in Canada against Elena Rybakina and followed with a semifinal run in Cincinnati. The former world number one credited that resurgence to uninterrupted training blocks with coach Francisco Roig, who joined her team in April. Świątek noted after the match that maintaining composure and finding quiet routines away from the court remain central to navigating Grand Slam schedules.

This is without a doubt the best part of the season for me. I am glad that I had more time earlier to work with the coach, because it gave me a lot both in terms of play and confidence.

Ranking points and fourth-round matchup

The third-round result lifted Świątek's live ranking total to 4,619 points, keeping her ninth in the WTA standings. She entered the US Open defending 430 points from a 2025 quarterfinal run, sat at 4,509 points before facing Bouzková, and added 110 net points from the 240 awarded for reaching the round of 16. Świątek sits 64 points behind eighth-placed Karolina Muchová (4,683 points) and 190 points behind seventh-placed Elina Svitolina (4,809 points), both of whom have exited the tournament. A quarterfinal appearance would raise her to 4,809 points, a semifinal to 5,159, a final to 5,679, and a tournament title to 6,379 points, which would secure fifth place.

In the fourth round on Monday, Świątek will play China's Qinwen Zheng. Zheng advanced after overcoming a 0-5 deficit in the third set against Madison Keys. The match will be their first meeting since Zheng defeated Świątek in the semifinals of the Paris Olympic tennis tournament.