Paris: World No. 1 Iga Swiatek narrowly defeated Naomi Osaka (No. 134) in a gripping three-set match, winning 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5, to advance into the third round of the French Open.
The three-time champion faced a tough challenge, saving a match point in the third set to secure her 16th consecutive win at Roland Garros.
Swiatek, who breezed through her first-round match against Leolia Jeanjean (No. 176) with a 6-1, 6-2 victory, found herself tested by Osaka’s elevated performance. Despite her overwhelming favour, Swiatek had to dig deep to overcome the Japanese player, who had previously struggled in her first round against Lucia Bronzetti (No. 67).
The match started with Swiatek breaking Osaka in the third game, leading 4-2 before Osaka rallied to force a tie-break. Swiatek dominated the tie-break 7-6(1). However, Osaka bounced back, dominating the second set 6-1, with Swiatek struggling with unforced errors.
In a tense third set, Osaka led 5-2 and had a match point at 5-4, but Swiatek’s resilience shone through. She leveled the match at 5-5, broke Osaka’s serve, and then secured the final set 7-5.
Swiatek will face the winner of the match between Marie Bouzkova (No. 42) and Jana Fett (No. 135) in the next round.
