Swiatek Stumbles With Feet Of Clay

Defending champ loses to Collins, whom she has beaten 7 times, ahead of French Open

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ROME - Iga Swiatek was dumped out of the Italian Open on May 10 after the reigning Rome champion suffered a shock 6-1, 7-5 loss at the hands of Danielle Collins.

World No. 2 Swiatek was hunting a fourth title at the Foro Italico but failed to get past the third round of the last major tournament before the French Open, following an uncharacteristically bad display against the American.

"I played Iga so many times. The winning favour is in her favour. When you play that many close matches and play some of your best tennis but lose, you learn a lot. I feel like I applied that today," said the 31-year-old Collins.

She will face Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who beat American Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in the last 16, as the world No. 35 hunts an unlikely second WTA 1000 title after winning in Miami in 2024.

Swiatek's early exit is a significant shock, as the Pole usually dominates her rivals on clay and has a hugely impressive record (21 wins out of 22 matches before the loss on May 10) in the Italian capital.