Iga Swiatek dominates Jana Fett in Stuttgart, marching into the quarterfinals with ease
Iga Swiatek is back to her best, storming into the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 victory over Croatian qualifier Jana Fett. Following a first-round bye, the World No. 2 exhibited a near-flawless performance, advancing with remarkable ease.
“I’m happy that I found a little bit of rhythm,” Swiatek remarked after the match. “I gave myself time to feel the court and everything. It felt great. I’m happy that I have another chance to play here.” Swiatek’s dominance on clay continues to shine through, and this victory marks her fourth straight quarterfinal appearance at this event.
Swiatek’s track record at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is nothing short of sensational. With a remarkable 11-1 record, she has claimed the title in her first two appearances at the tournament, triumphing over Aryna Sabalenka in both the 2022 and 2023 finals. Her only loss at this venue came last year in the semifinals at the hands of eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
In her second-round match, Swiatek barely broke a sweat, storming through the opening set without dropping a single break point. Fett, ranked 153rd in the world, fought valiantly, saving six of the eight break points she faced, but couldn’t find a way to break Swiatek’s rhythm. Fett did manage to make a slight dent in the second set, claiming an early break to go 2-0 up. However, Swiatek quickly regained control, winning the next six games to seal a comfortable win in just 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Fett’s errors proved costly, as she committed a total of nine double faults during the match, including one on Swiatek’s second match point. In contrast, Swiatek was near-perfect on her service games, winning an impressive 81% of her first-serve points and only dropping serve once during the entire match.
This victory further highlights Swiatek’s incredible consistency against lower-ranked opponents. She has now won her last 18 matches against players ranked outside the Top 150, a streak dating back to 2021. Fett’s career record against Top 10 players, however, remains woeful, with the Croatian now 0-4 in such encounters.
Looking ahead, Swiatek is set to face either No. 7 seed Emma Navarro or 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals. While Swiatek boasts a perfect 2-0 record against Navarro, Ostapenko presents a more significant challenge. The Latvian has defeated Swiatek in all five of their previous meetings, including a loss this year in Doha.
With the quarterfinals now in sight, Swiatek remains the favourite to capture her third Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title. But the question remains: will she finally overcome the Ostapenko hurdle, or will another roadblock prevent her from achieving further glory in Stuttgart?
