World No. 1 Iga Swiatek into second round of Olympics tennis
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Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her first round match against Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania at the Paris Games.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PARIS – Iga Swiatek knows the grounds of Roland Garros very well, but even the four-time French Open champion had to battle to a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu to reach the second round of the rain-lashed Olympics tennis tournament on July 27.
The world No. 1 Polish star was not affected by the adverse weather as she had the advantage of playing under the roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier due to her status. It is a venue where she plays her best tennis, as she clinched her 22nd straight win on the Paris clay and her 20th victory in a row on the surface.
But the 23-year-old admitted that she had to struggle a fair bit to get through the match.
“My level was a bit fluctuating and there was more tension than usual,” Swiatek told Polish media.
“The first rounds are never easy, so in a sense I’m giving myself credit to get into the right rhythm (in the end). I made a lot of mistakes, but the most important thing is that in the last three games I improved my level and concentration and I won in two sets.”
There is plenty to improve after she hit more unforced errors than winners (30 to 22) in her 1hr 45min victory. After two breaks in a comfortable first set, the top seed had to retrieve a break in the second set to get to 5-5 before sweeping the next two games and securing victory when Begu double faulted.
Swiatek, who only reached the second round on her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, will face either Diane Parry of France or Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska for a place in the last 16.
On returning to Paris for the Olympics soon after her French Open win in June, the five-time Grand Slam champion added: “I didn’t watch the entire Olympic opening ceremony because I wanted to sleep.
“I did a lot of catching up this morning. I’m glad that tennis has been appreciated. When I see things like this, I feel proud. The French put on a great show, it’s the best ceremony I’ve ever seen.”
On Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Italy’s fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, runner-up to Swiatek in the French Open, beat Romania’s Ana Bogdan 7-5, 6-3.
In the men’s draw, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic made a fast and furious start in his bid to win a maiden Olympic gold by beating Australian Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1. He needed just 53 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Ebden is a former world No. 1 in doubles but has not played a singles match for two years. He had benefited from being granted an alternate spot when a gap in the draw opened up.
The downside was that he had to take on Djokovic, who has enjoyed plenty of success at Roland Garros with three French Open titles. The Serb could face old rival Rafael Nadal next in the second round.
“I am sure it would be epic, even though he’s not playing like he used to do, but neither am I,” Djokovic said. “He needs to win his first match and we will see.”
Reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, also made a strong start on his Olympic debut by defeating Hady Habib of Lebanon 6-3, 6-1 in 1hr 10min. AFP, REUTERS
