Thu May 01 15:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Swiatek Survives Shocking Start to Reach Madrid Open Semifinals
**MADRID –** World No. 2 Iga Swiatek overcame a bizarre start to her Madrid Open quarterfinal, defeating Madison Keys 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals. Swiatek, defending champion, described the match as “one of the weirdest I played,” after losing the first six games to Keys. She rallied impressively, however, turning the match around with improved play and capitalizing on Keys’ errors. Swiatek will next face Coco Gauff.
In other women’s quarterfinal action, Gauff, the No. 4 seed, defeated 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-1 in the youngest WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2009. This match-up marked a significant achievement for both players, with Gauff overcoming two set points in the first set. The top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka also secured her semi-final spot after a hard-fought victory over Marta Kostyuk 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7), setting up a clash with Elina Svitolina.
On the men’s side, Matteo Arnaldi continued his impressive run, defeating Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the ATP 1000 tournament. This win marks Arnaldi’s third consecutive victory over top-20 opponents. He will next face Jack Draper. Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, defeating Alex De Minaur 6-4, 6-2. The tournament has seen several exciting matches following a significant power outage that postponed over 20 matches earlier in the week.
First Piper 