Iga Swiatek makes brutally honest comment after getting bagelled at China Open

Iga Swiatek has admitted that she "just played bad" after getting bagelled in a shock defeat at the China Open. The top seed had only played the tournament once before, lifting the title in 2023, but she suffered her first-ever loss in Beijing at the hands of Emma Navarro.

The six-time Major champion hit a staggering 70 unforced errors as Navarro came through 6-4 4-6 6-0 in the fourth round, and got candid about doing things "wrong" during the match.

"I'm not injured. I just played bad today. I managed to, like, work on it in the second set. Then in third, probably the mistakes I did from the beginning of the match kind of came back," Swiatek said.

"I didn't really, I don't know, fix the shots that I played wrong or something. I kind of knew what I'm doing wrong. I don't know, I was stuck in doing it wrong rather than actually solving it.

"So yeah, for sure I was a bit more nervous because of that and maybe too much emotions, as well. I will try to, like, keep it more cool next time so I have more space in my head to problem solve.

"Honestly, I didn't feel like anything was working. That's why I got more and more, like, nervous."

Swiatek regrouped after losing the opening set. But she collapsed after forcing a decider. There were plenty of close games in the third and final set, but none of them went her way.

The former China Open champion added: "Now I would need to really watch because I was trying to just adjust, move better throughout the whole match. I think maybe there were a few games where I did, but then it stopped again. I stopped moving well again.

"I guess it was a matter of just little things, like sometimes making one more ball in or making a safer decisions. In first set I didn't, and the ball went out. It's hard to say one particular thing."

Swiatek - who has been vocal about the "intense" tennis schedule of late - now has a few days to regroup before the next WTA 1000 event in Wuhan kicks off. The world No. 2 has never played the Wuhan Open and will need to get to grips with the site and courts.

"I've never been there. I have no idea even how the site looks like and how the courts are. It's I think nice to just see a new place," she explained.

"For sure it's good that the tournament is shorter because no matter if you win, no matter if you lose, you can just get on with it and do your job, that's it, finish it a little bit earlier, just be in some kind of a rhythm.

"Yeah, I'll just do my best, try to work on this stuff right now on the practice court and be ready for first match."