Iga Swiatek was all praise for Angelique Kerber after defeating her 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round of the Italian Open 2024 on Monday (May 13). The Pole expressed happiness on the fact that the German was back to playing at the top level.

Swiatek is currently competing at the European clay swing, which she kicked off at the Stuttgart Open, where she made it to the semifinals and followed it up by winning the Madrid Open.

The Pole is now competing at the Italian Open where she is the top seed. After a first-round bye, she began her campaign with a win over Bernarda Pera. She followed it up with another straight-sets win against Yulia Putintseva.

The 22-year-old then faced Angelique Kerber in the fourth round. The 36-year-old German returned to the tour in 2024 after a one-and-a-half-year hiatus due to her pregnancy.

When asked during the on-court interview how high she had to raise her level to defeat the former World No. 1, Swiatek acknowledged that Kerber was playing well and every point became important.

The Pole was all praise for the southpaw and expressed her delight to see her back on the tour.

“For sure Angie was playing well. I felt like every point mattered especially in the first set so, umm… yeah I just wanted to stay focused on what I wanted to do and stick to my tactics umm… but for sure you know I have huge respect for Angie. It’s nice that she’s back and playing well. She’s a really nice person. I always enjoy these matches for sure,” Swiatek said.

Iga Swiatek will face Madison Keys in the quarterfinals

Iga Swiatek will play 18th seed Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.

Keys began her campaign in Rome with a win topsy-turvy three-set over Camila Osorio and followed it up with another impressive win over 12th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in a similar fashion. She defeated 28th seed Sorana Cirstea comfortably 6-2, 6-1 in the fourth round.

Swiatek and Keys have met four times so far, with Iga Swiatek leading their head-to-head 3-1. However, the Pole has won both their meetings on clay, with their most recent match coming in the semifinals of the 2024 Madrid Open, which the four-time Major champion won 6-1, 6-3.

The winner of their upcoming battle will face the winner of the last-eight clash between Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen.