MADRID  -  World number one Iga Swiatek recovered from losing the opening set to beat Brazilian 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6 6-0 6-2 and moved into the Madrid Open semi-finals on Tuesday.

Swiatek, bidding for her third title this year, broke to lead 3-1 in the first set, but Haddad Maia bounced back to break twice, saving three break points in between to level at 4-4, and took the opening set. That was the first set the Pole had dropped in the tournament, but she had an emphatic response, completing a bagel in the second set, where the Brazilian failed to force a single break point and Swiatek won two service games to love.

Swiatek continued in the same vein in the deciding set, breaking at the first opportunity to lead 2-0, and although Haddad Maia broke back immediately, the top seed won four of the next five games to complete her comeback. Having lost their first meeting in 2022, Swiatek has now won the last three matches against the Brazilian. Last year’s losing finalist Swiatek, with wins at Indian Wells and the Qatar Open in 2024, will face either Tunisian eighth seed Ons Jabeur or American 18th seed Madison Keys, who play later on Tuesday, in Thursday’s semi-final.

SINNER FIGHTS BACK TO REACH FIRST MADRID OPEN QUARTERFINAL

Jannik Sinner has booked his place in the Madrid Open quarter-final, going the distance to beat Karen Khachanov 5-7 6-3 6-3 on Tuesday. The top seed dropped a set for the first time at the tournament as an in-form Khachanov, but he shook off the concerns of a lingering hip injury to make a comeback. After winning the second set, he then saved both break points he faced in the decider, finishing off a contest that lasted over two hours. Sinner has reached the quarter-final of the Madrid Open for the first time and will face either Casper Ruud or Felix Auger-Aliassime next.  Not only has the 22-year-old become the only player to reach the quarter-final at all four Master 1000 events in 2024, but he is the first to achieve that feat since Milos Raonic in 2016. Sinner has also become the first Italian player to make the quarter-finals of all three existing ATP Masters 1000 events on clay, since 2009 when the Madrid Open took the place of the Hamburg Masters.