Swiatek cruises into Korea Open quarter-finals after Cirstea victory

Iga Swiatek defeated Sorana Cirstea in straight sets to book her spot in the quarter-finals of the Korea Open.

The first seed won 6-3 6-2 in an hour and 34 minutes and will face either Emma Raducanu or Barbora Krejcikova in the last eight.

Swiatek wasted no time getting started in Seoul, breaking Cirstea's first three service games to race into a 5-1 lead in the opening set.

The world number two eventually secured the set with her sixth set point and carried that momentum into the second.

An early break then allowed Swiatek to build a 4-1 lead, and she saved two break points in the seventh game of the set before clinching the win with her first match point, breaking Cirstea to love in the final game.

This was Swiatek's first match and win in Seoul,

the city where her father competed as a rower in the 1998 Olympic Games.

"The Olympics in 1988 were the highlight of his career, and he's been telling us stories about it since me and my sister were kids," Swiatek said in her on-court interview.

"So I'm happy to explore this city - he's been talking about being here as a great adventure. I play a different sport, but still we're at the Olympic venue, and I'm surprised by how the whole city is still appreciating the Olympic tradition.

"It's great, because this event is the best the world has in any area. Playing here for sure is an honour, and maybe next year my dad will come!"

SWIATEK IN STRAIGHT SETS @iga_swiatek makes her debut in Seoul with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Cirstea.#KoreaOpen pic.twitter.com/apIKosPDJU

— wta (@WTA) September 18, 2025

Data Debrief: Cirstea's Swiatek struggles continue

Since their first meeting at the 2022 Australian Open, where Swiatek won 5-7 6-3 6-3, Cirstea has not won a single set against her counterpart in five matches.

Swiatek will now play in her 13th quarter-final of the year, in what is just her 15th tournament of 2025 (excluding team competitions), highlighting a strong season for the Wimbledon champion.