fbpx

No. 1 Iga Swiatek posts commanding third-round win in Paris

May 30, 2023; Paris, France; Iga Swiatek (POL) returns a shot during a match against Cristina Bucsa (ESP) on day three at Stade Roland-Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Defending champion and No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek put on a dominant show Saturday, needing just 51 minutes to eliminate Xinyu Wang of China 6-0, 6-0 to move into the fourth round of the French Open.

Swiatek, of Poland, won 50 of the 67 total points in the match and never faced a break point. She won 18 of 21 points on her first serve and hit 21 winners compared to 11 unforced errors.

Wang, ranked No. 80 in the world, recorded only three winners compared to 22 unforced errors.

It was the first double bagel for Swiatek in a Grand Slam tournament. She won at Roland Garros in 2020 and 2022, as well as the U.S. Open last year.

Post-match, Swiatek said she was happy with “the way I kept my focus” throughout the match.

“Just the fact that I know I keep feeling better and better every day, and that’s kind of what I wanted to achieve in this tournament,” she said. “I’m glad that I kind of feel the rhythm a little bit better on every match. I’m just happy that I was disciplined till the end.”

Swiatek, who turned 22 this week, is 24-2 in her career on the clay courts at Roland Garros.

In other action, No. 6 seed Coco Gauff rallied to eliminate fellow teenager Mirra Andreeva 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1.

Gauff, 19, was a finalist in Paris last year and needed just over two hours to defeat the 16-year-old qualifier from Russia, who won her first-ever set over a Top 10 player.

Gauff converted eight of 18 break chances and hit 35 winners to 26 unforced errors, compared to 17 and 38, respectively, for Andreeva.

No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan withdrew before her match with Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Other winners Saturday were No. 14 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil, who ousted No. 23 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5; Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, who defeated Kayla Day 6-1, 6-3; and Bernarda Pera, who topped Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy 6-4, 7-6 (2).

–Field Level Media

Mentioned in this article:

More About: