Iega's continued struggles culminate in Collins' halting of Swiatek's Rome title defense.
Tackling the Italian Open Storm:
Iga Swiatek's Shocking Defeat to Danielle Collins
In an unexpected turn of events, world number two Iga Swiatek was knocked out of the 2023 Italian Open by American phenom Danielle Collins after a brutal 6-1, 7-5 third-round clash on Saturday. This loss will strip Swiatek of her top-tier ranking as she gears up for the defense of her French Open title.
Swiatek, who boasted a 7-1 head-to-head record against Collins, plainly didn't have it in her, with this early defeat not boding well for the 23-year-old Polish star. Swiatek hasn't tasted success since her fourth triumph at Roland Garros last year.
Collins, now 31, couldn't contain her satisfaction after the win. "I've played against Iga so many times... when you play that many close matches and get this close, and also play some of your best tennis and lose, I think you learn a lot. I feel like I applied that today, to the match," Collins gleefully shared with reporters.
Sinner Rebounds with Triumph After Doping Ban
Meanwhile, five-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek had an abysmal start against Collins, conceding five games straight before finally getting on the scoreboard to avoid a bagel. Collins was a relentless force on the court, blasting winners from both the forehand and backhand, and terrorizing Swiatek's serve.
The second set saw the game even up at 4-4, with Swiatek briefly exhibiting glimpses of her former skill. However, Collins showed no compassion, clinching victory in a swift 1 hour and 44 minutes when a return from Swiatek sailed wide. Collins tallied 32 winners and cashed in on six of eight break point opportunities, while Swiatek notched 22 unforced errors.
Swiatek's performance this year is barely passable, with nine losses already - as many as in all of 2024. What's more troubling is that she hasn't claimed a single claycourt title before her attempted French Open title defense later this month.
"It hasn't been easy," Swiatek conceded to the press. "For sure, I'm doing something wrong. So I need to just regroup and change some stuff. I had some advice from the team. I'll just try to do this."
The Player's Struggles:
Swiatek admitted that she simply wasn't up to the task against Collins. "I wasn't there, present, to fight and to compete. I focused on mistakes. It's my mistake, and I'm not doing things right," Swiatek candidly shared. The focused seems to be on the wrong things from my side, and I'll try to change that."
Swiatek also lamented that she couldn't play her usual game and promised to adjust her mindset to overcome the current hurdles.
[1] European Tennis Union - Iga Swiatek Loses in Italian Open Round of 32 (2025)[2] Associated Press - Iga Swiatek Set to Drop to World No. 3 Following Shock Italian Open Loss (2023)[3] New York Times - Iga Swiatek Struggles in Italian Open Following Loss to Danielle Collins (2023)
Jannik, a tennis enthusiast, tried his hand at competing in the Rome Masters in Rome's historic baselines. Unfortunately, his performance was marred by a doping scandal, which led to his disqualification from the event. He was aiming to make a name for himself in the world of sports, but this incident cast a dark shadow over his aspirations. Despite the setback, Jannik promised to learn from this experience and work towards regaining his reputation in future sports competitions.
