On brink of defeat, Iga Swiatek launches epic comeback to get past Donna Vekic at China Open

Iga Swiatek’s match against Donna Vekic at the China Open was symbolic of her bumpy season. Vekic, who has never beaten Swiatek in four previous meetings, got off to an unbelievable start, taking the first set 6-4.
Vekic continued to play dominant tennis in the second set, going up 5-2 and served for the match two times before Swiatek lifted her game to force a second set tiebreak which she won with ease as Vekic continued to be shocked by the quick change in Swiatek’s play and the direction of the match.
In the third set, the two exchanged breaks before Swiatek settled in, running away with it 6-2.
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Swiatek lifted her game in the nick of time
Tennis – U.S. Open – Flushing Meadows, New York, United States – September 7, 2026 Poland’s Iga Swiatek in action during her round of 16 match against China’s Qinwen Zheng REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Credit: REUTERS (Reuters)Vekic possessed a 26-21 record this year going into Beijing. She is World No. 40. Vekic is a talented player but is sometimes inconsistent. She is the reigning Olympic silver medalist.
Swiatek, a former World No. 1, is currently World No. 9. She is the 2026 Canada Open champion. Swiatek has described her 2026 season as “bumpy.” She won the China Open in 2023 and is trying to claw her way into the year-end WTA Finals tournament to be held at Indian Wells. Swiatek is currently 10th in the points race, and the top eight players are invited to the exclusive end-of-year event.
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Top 10 seeds left in the draw
In addition to Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Muchova, and Belinda Bencic are the remaining Top 10 seeded players in the tournament.
Gauff, who won the Cincinnati Open earlier this summer, is the highest seed (3) and emerges as the favorite. She has an intriguing match against the teenage Chinese wildcard player Xinran Sun later today.
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