Iga Świątek rallied past fellow Polish tennis star Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday at the 2026 Wuhan Open 2026, picking up her 40th win of the WTA season.
Świątek Fights Back to Earn Record Win
That record victory didn't come easy though as the seventh seed trailed 0-2 in the opening set. Świątek needed to reel off six straight games, saving seven of eight break points to earn the first frame. But that surge carried her into a lopsided second, where she conceded just one game.
Frech, a lucky loser in the main draw, jumped out to that early lead but just couldn't maintain the pressure once the six-time Grand Slam champion settled into the match.
"We know each other pretty well," Świątek said of her opponent. "I just wanted to focus on being consistent and playing as good as possible."
Her 2026 season has been uneven by her own standards, with just one title coming from the Toronto in August, and a quarterfinal exit at the China Open last week against Elise Mertens.
After parting ways with coach Wim Fissette earlier this year, she brought on Francisco Roig, who spent 17 years on Rafael Nadal's coaching team.
She'll look to steady her form in this final stretch, facing Ashlyn Krueger in the Round of 16 as she chases a berth in the WTA Finals at Indian Wells.
