Italian Open 2026: Iga Świątek breezes past Osaka Naomi to book spot in quarter-finals

Three-time champion Iga Świątek is back into the quarter-finals at the Italian Open in Rome.

The world No. 3 made quick work of fellow multi-time major champion Osaka Naomi on Monday (11 May), winning 6-2, 6-1 in just one hour and 20 minutes.

The 2021, 2022 and 2024 winner in Rome, Świątek looked back to some of her best tennis by clocking 23 winners and keeping control of the match from the start.

Osaka hit just nine winners, and struggled on serve, getting just 54 per cent of her first serves in.

Świątek will next meet Jessica Pegula, the world No. 5 from the USA. They are on the bottom half of draw, anchored by Elena Rybakina.

Świątek held a 2-1 edge in her career head-to-head with Osaka coming into their round-of 16 meeting Monday.

Their most famous clash also came on red clay, when Swiatek saved a match point in the second round of Roland-Garros in 2024, winning 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 in nearly three hours.

The Polish star would go on to win in Paris that year, her fourth of four titles there (2020, 2022-24).

But the Rome encounter never allowed the Japanese megastar to hit her stride. She was broken out of the gate in both sets, and hit a backhand wide to hand the first to Świątek in 45 minutes.

Set two was much of the same as Świątek - an excellent front-runner - put her foot on the gas. The match ended on a Świątek backhand cross-court winner, the two embracing at the net with a hug.

Swiatek is looking for her first title since claiming the Korean Open in September. She was 7-5 in recent weeks, hiring a new coach in Francisco Roig and training with Rafael Nadal looking on at his academy in Spain.

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