Iga Swiatek revealed "I haven't felt like that for five years" following her shock defeat by compatriot Magda Linette at the Miami Open.

The six-time major winner lost her opening match for the first time in 74 WTA tournaments – a stunning run that had dated back to the 2021 WTA Finals – after going down 1-6 7-5 6-3.

Swiatek dominated the opening set, breaking her opponent twice along the way, but failed to do so again for the rest of the match, with world number 50 Linette roaring back.

The crucial moment came when Swiatek was serving at 5-6 to force a tie-break in the second set.

Linette got a timely break and then kept her momentum in the decider, charging into a 5-2 lead and eventually getting over the line despite Swiatek showing some late resistance.

She is only the second player to beat Swiatek at a WTA 1000 event after losing the opening set, after Maria Sakkari in Doha earlier this season.

The world number three has now failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals of all four tournaments she has played in 2026, and accepts she must improve quickly.

UPSET ALERT IN HARD ROCK STADIUM@MagdaLinette | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/lUJtcc5jbW

— wta (@WTA) March 20, 2026

"I stopped doing anything well tactically," Swiatek told reporters. "It just was a bad match for me in the second and third sets. Whether that was Unconsciously, or consciously, it's hard for me to say.

"I need to work to get back from that, because I haven't felt things like that for like five years.

"I'll just get back to work and try to get something positive out of the practices, and try to figure it out."

Linette's reward for her superb victory is a third-round clash against rising star Alexandra Eala.

Elsewhere in Thursday's Miami action, former world number two Paula Badosa defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-5 6-3, while 45-year-old Venus Williams was beaten, with Great Britain's Fran Jones battling to a 7-5 7-5 win.

Badosa is scheduled to face 18th seed Iva Jovic on Friday, while Jones faces a huge test against fifth seed Jessica Pegula.