Returning to the tour after a break that involved her skipping the Mutua Madrid Open last week, Iga Swiatek picked up from where she’d left off in Stuttgart. The world no. 1 won her 24th straight match on Wednesday to begin her Rome Open title defence underway.
The Pole beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 6-3, 6-0 in an hour and eight minutes in their second-round encounter. Swiatek won almost 74% of her first-serve points to the Romanian’s 40%. In terms of winners’ tally, while Ruse had merely three winners, Swiatek finished with 15.
And although Swiatek failed to save both break points she faced, she also converted seven of the 12 break points that came her way on Ruse’s serve. In the third round, Swiatek will play 16th seed Victoria Azarenka, who defeated Camila Osorio, 6-2, 6-4 in their round-of-32 clash.
Meanwhile, Karolina Pliskova, who reached the 2021 Rome Open finals crashed out in the second round. Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann upset the sixth seed from the Czech Republic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 40 minutes.
Teichmann will play Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh beat Lauren Davis, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.
Rome Open: Upsets dot results
Eighth seed Ons Jabeur got the better of Ajla Tomljanovic to reach the third round. The Tunisian won 7-5, 6-2 and will next play Yulia Putintseva.
The Kazakh qualifier upset eighth seed Garbine Muguruza, effectuating a comeback from a set down. Putintseva won 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 in two hours and 17 minutes. The Spaniard who led by a set and break, served for the match in the 10th game of the second set but wasn’t able to get to match point.
Her game crumbled thereafter and in the third set, it was Putintseva all the way, right up to her victory. Fourth seed Maria Sakkari and 15th seed Coco Gauff have set up a third-round match-up against each other. The Greek got past Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-3, 6-2 while Gauff won against fellow American, Madison Brengle, 6-2, 6-4.
Bianca Andreescu also reached the third round with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Nuria Parrizas Diaz. The Canadian will play Croatian qualifier, Petra Martic for a chance to reach the quarter-finals. Martic upset the fifth-seeded Anett Kontaveit, 6-2, 6-3.
Another upset came courtesy of Amanda Anisimova. The American ousted the 12th-seeded Belinda Bencic, 7-6(5), 6-1 in their second-round match and now awaits, the winner between Simona Halep and seventh seed Danielle Collins.
Lastly, Daria Kasatkina posted a comeback win over Leylah Fernandez to reach the third round of the Rome Open. Kasatkina won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) and will play either Aliaksandra Sasnovich or the second-seeded Paula Badosa. Photo Credit: WTA Insider Twitter
