Iga Swiatek’s 2025 season is shaping up to be a comeback story worth watching. She’s stormed into the Australian Open quarterfinals, dismantling Germany’s Eva Lys 6-0, 6-1 in just 54 minutes. With this win, Swiatek has now delivered a whopping 29 Grand Slam sets with a 6-0 scoreline. But the Polish star is also celebrating a personal victory. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has officially closed her doping case, opting not to appeal, finally bringing an end to a turbulent chapter in her career. So what difference will this decision make in the Pole’s life?

The Polish tennis star’s 2024 season was overshadowed by a one-month suspension after testing positive for trimetazidine(TMZ), a banned substance. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared her of intentional wrongdoing, determining the substance came from contaminated melatonin medication. Despite her short suspension, the case loomed over her career until WADA’s recent decision to let the matter rest.

Now, with the storm behind her, the 23-year-old can breathe a sigh of relief. “I’m just satisfied, you know, that I can get closure, kind of, and I can just move on and finish this whole process. Because, you know, I just want to play tennis and focus on the tournaments. So, yeah, I’m just satisfied,” she said after her fourth-round match in the post-match press conference.

Iga Swiatek’s case might have stirred debate outside the court, but inside the locker room, she felt supported by her peers. In the same press conference, the World No.2 revealed, “I haven’t noticed any difference. I think anybody who read the documents and knows the details about the case, they understand. In the locker room, it has been pretty nice, you know.”

“The girls are understanding. I mean, I kind of answered all of this at the beginning of the tournament, so, yeah, now for sure, I just want to put this behind me. I’ve already been on tour for quite a few weeks, and it’s all been good, so I don’t expect any changes. For sure, I’m happy that people understand.”

Her fellow WTA stars have spoken out in her support outside the locker room as well. Aryna Sabalenka spoke to The National in December and said, “People are really used to overreacting before figuring stuff out, so I don’t want to leave any comments. I believe in clean sport and nothing else I can add.”

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff shared her perspective ahead of the Australian Open, saying, “From our interactions, I definitely don’t think anything she did was intentional. I mean, I found out about it with the rest of the world. She’s still playing great tennis, and I think she’s fine.”

With the WTA rallying behind her, Iga Swiatek has shifted her focus entirely to tennis, and it’s paying off.

Iga Swiatek reaches milestone quarterfinal at the Australian Open

At just 23 years old, Iga Swiatek’s now the youngest woman to reach her 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal in 16 years, since Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009. This Australian Open marks the first time in her career that she’s reached the quarterfinals or better at consecutive majors outside of Roland Garros, following her quarterfinal appearance at the US Open last year. In Melbourne, she got ousted in the third round last year.

IGA SWIATEK’S GRAND SLAM QUARTERFINALS (10):

• Won 2020 Roland Garros
• QFs at 2021 Roland Garros
• SFs at 2022 Australian Open
• Won 2022 Roland Garros
• Won 2022 US Open
• Won 2023 Roland Garros
• QFs at 2023 Wimbledon
• Won 2024 Roland Garros
• QFs at 2024 US Open
• QFs at 2025 Australian Open (so far)

“I’m still 23 years old, so there is a lot to improve always,” she said after the match. “I don’t feel like I’m in my peak yet, but matches like that definitely give me confidence. I feel like I’m playing a good game. Usually, I don’t feel comfortable with my game at the Australian Open, but this year it is a bit better.”

The World No.2’s next challenge comes in the form of American eighth seed Emma Navarro, who clinched a dramatic 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 victory over ninth seed Daria Kasatkina.

With her confidence soaring and her name cleared, will Iga Swiatek ride this momentum all the way to another Grand Slam title?