Iga Swiatek finally looks like she has found her rhythm again after months of injury setbacks and illness.
The 24-year-old booked her place in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open with an impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory over Naomi Osaka, producing one of her strongest performances of the season so far.
For Swiatek, the result is a positive sign after a difficult period away from her best physically.
Her struggles began late last year at the US Open, where she suffered a right foot injury during her match against Amanda Anisimova. The injury disrupted her momentum and forced her into recovery mode for months.
The start of this season also proved challenging. During the United Cup, Swiatek battled severe soreness and exhaustion in her match against Belinda Bencic.
The situation became so serious that she needed off-court medical treatment.
Then at the Madrid Open, another setback followed when she was forced to retire mid-match after suddenly feeling weak.
She later explained that she had been suffering from a severe stomach virus and food poisoning, which badly affected her energy levels.
Swiatek started the match very well and quickly took control with strong shots and great movement around the court. Osaka found it hard to keep up with the pace, and Swiatek broke her serve twice to win the first set 6-2.
In the second set, Swiatek became even stronger and more confident. She stayed aggressive, returned well, and gave Osaka very few chances to come back into the match.
Osaka struggled to hold her serve, while Swiatek stayed calm and focused throughout. The Polish star easily won the second set 6-1 to secure a comfortable straight-sets victory .
In her post-match interview, Swiatek credited coach Francisco Roig for helping bring a fresh spark to her game.
The pair started working together this year in April 2026, and the early results have been impressive, as the Polish star appears sharper and more confident on court.
Roig made headlines earlier this year after ending his partnership with Emma Raducanu in January.
“Honestly, I felt like I understood Francis from the beginning. I guess it also depends on the specific, like, relationship you have with the coach.
“But I think any player wants a coach like with a good eye, a clear plan of what to do, how to achieve that.
Francis has a really nice touch in terms of also, like, adjusting the practice to what the player needs right now. Also he’s aware of kind of all the factors that are coming in.
“It all kind of clicks together, I would say, both physical, mental and technical part on the practices. You know that he’s aware of all of these. It’s nice.”
