Swiatek breezes through to Italian Open third round

Swiatek breezes through to Italian Open third round

Iga Swiatek delivered a masterclass at the Italian Open, dismantling Italian wildcard Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-0, 6-1 in just 52 minutes to advance to the third round.

 The Polish world number two was untouchable, winning 28 of 35 service points and not facing a single break point. Swiatek, a three-time Rome champion, is chasing her fourth title in five years and continues her dominant record at the tournament, with 18 of her last 19 matches being straight set victories. Her next opponent will be either American Danielle Collins or Romania’s Elena Gabriela Ruse. Despite reaching at least the quarterfinals in her last eight tournaments, the 23-year-old is still seeking her first title of the season as she prepares to defend her French Open crown, where she has won four of the last five titles. 

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka’s remarkable clay court form continued with a hard fought 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Swiss lucky loser Viktorija Golubic. The 27-year-old, who welcomed her first child in July 2023, has now won seven consecutive matches on clay, a surface where she has never advanced past the French Open third round. Her recent Saint Malo title marked her first clay court triumph and her first WTA title since becoming a mother. Originally scheduled to face ninth seed Paula Badosa, Osaka instead took on Golubic after Badosa’s injury withdrawal. 

The four-time Grand Slam champion will next play either Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia or Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic. Both players are building momentum as the French Open, starting May 25 at Roland Garros, approaches.

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