Tennis: Poland’s Świątek breezes into second round at US Open

Poland’s world tennis number one Iga Świątek has swatted aside the challenge of Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to book her place in the second round of the US Open tournament in New York.

Iga Świątek.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Świątek began Tuesday’s first round match in a cautious fashion, before stepping up a gear to take the first set 6:3, news outlets reported. 

The Polish number one seed came into her own in the second set, not letting Paolini, the world number 56, win a single game, as she cruised to a 6:3, 6:0 victory, her 51st of the season. 

Iga advancing with ease! pic.twitter.com/yMh29Haufd

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2022

Bringing the heat early ♨️@iga_swiatek gets her #USOpen campaign up and running with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Paolini! pic.twitter.com/iZpcBN9Wzm

— wta (@WTA) August 30, 2022

18 - Since 2000, only #SerenaWilliams in 2013 (25) has won more sets with a 6-0 scoreline in a single season than Iga #Swiatek in 2022 (18). Crushing.@WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/1eH42Mqixa

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 30, 2022

Świątek could now face the 2017 US Open champion, America's Sloane Stephens, in the second round on Thursday. 

The Pole is looking to claim her second Grand Slam title of the year, having won the French Open in June.

Later on Tuesday, another Polish player, the world number 73 Magda Linette, was set for to play the 22nd seed, Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova, who reached the US Open final in 2016.

Meanwhile, in the men’s tournament, Poland’s world number 10 Hubert Hurkacz was due to begin his US Open run against Germany’s Oscar Otte.

(pm)

Source: onet.pl, polskieradio.pl