Świątek Bageled in Final Set, Navarro Scores Career-Best Win at China Open

On October 2nd, 2025, world No. 2 Iga Świątek suffered a surprise defeat at the China Open, losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to American Emma Navarro. Świątek, who had recently spoken about the relentless nature of the tennis schedule, was unable to find her rhythm against the world No. 17 Navarro.

Navarro returned aggressively and defended resolutely, using changes of speed and height to extract errors from an errant Świątek. The Polish player, who had been working on improving her movement and counterpunching skills under a new coach, reverted to her default all-out aggression in the face of adversity, hitting a career-high 70 unforced errors.

Świątek's struggles in the second half of last year seemed to resurface, as she frequently berated herself for going for too much and making unforced mistakes. Navarro's game, while less devastating than Świątek's, proved too much for the world No. 2 to handle on the day, as the American secured the biggest win of her career.

The defeat was a setback for Świątek, who had been hoping to close the gap on world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings. Navarro, on the other hand, will look to build on this momentum as she advances to the quarterfinals of the China Open.