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Iga Swiatek suffered a shock opening-round defeat at the Miami Open on Thursday nigth, marking her first loss in a tournament opener in 74 appearances. Meanwhile, Venus Williams’ struggles continued, as her losing streak stretched to nine matches.
For the first time since the 2021 WTA Finals, where she fell to Maria Sakkari, Swiatek exited a tournament in her opening match, ending an extraordinary run of 73 consecutive first-match victories. World No. 50 Magda Linette mounted an impressive comeback to defeat the former champion and second seed 1-6 7-5 6-3 in the second round of the Miami Open.
Linette’s resilience was on full display, as it marked her second consecutive three-set comeback win, having also rallied from a set down in her first-round match against Varvara Gracheva. The underdog overcame a staggering 30 unforced errors to secure the upset, becoming just the second player to defeat Swiatek at a WTA 1000 event after dropping the opening set.
The reigning Wimbledon champion has now failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals in all four tournaments she has contested in 2026. “I stopped doing anything well tactically,” Swiatek admitted after the loss to her compatriot.
Also on Thursday, Venus Williams saw her struggles continue, falling 7-5 7-5 to Britain’s Fran Jones in the first round of the Miami Open. The defeat marked her ninth in a row, dating back to her opening-round victory in Washington last summer. World No. 93 Jones said the win meant everything to her, as she defeated her childhood hero. The victory also marked the 25-year-old’s first career WTA 1000 win.
Jones was born with Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia (EEC), a rare condition that left her with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot, and four on her left. Doctors advised her to give up on pursuing tennis professionally, but Jones has said that players like Venus and her sister Serena inspired her to keep chasing that dream.
Just how much the victory meant to Jones is reflected in her daily ritual growing up, as she would say goodnight to the Williams sisters on the wall of her childhood home each night. She explained that being told she could never play tennis made her doubt herself, but the Williams sisters inspired her to keep trying. She added that her dad took her to Centre Court to watch them play when she was just five.
