French Open 2021 tennis - Defending champion Iga Swiatek wins opening match on her birthday at Roland Garros

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 31/05/2021 at 13:15 GMT

It took four match points to seal the deal, but Iga Swiatek battled through a tough second set to progress to the second round of the French Open with a 6-0 7-5 win over Kaja Juvan. The reigning champion at Roland Garros after her remarkable triumph last year, Swiatek was again impressive as she won on her birthday in Paris.

Defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek overcame Kaja Juvan in straight sets to secure her progression through to the second round.

The Pole became a sensation in tennis after her incredible triumph in the 2020 edition of the Paris Grand Slam, and she continued where she left off with a lightning fast start.

Swiatek took the opening set with a quite stunning bagel to stamp her authority on the match - and indeed the tournament once again.

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On a windy day in the opening match at Court Philippe-Chatrier it was abundantly clear early on that Swiatek was in total control of the conditions and the match.

Remarkably, Swiatek made it three consecutive bagels after she defeated former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-0 in the final in Rome.

The second set was much tougher for the 20-year-old as Juvan battled very impressively and it was left finely poised at 5-5.

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But that was when Swiatek seized control once more with a fine spree of attacking shots and she clinched the crucial break of serve to close out the match.

It took four match points to seal the win, but Swiatek was left to celebrate a fine start to the tournament on her birthday.

The 20-year-old will now await a second-round clash against either Shelby Rogers or Rebecca Peterson.

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Watch all the action from the 2021 French Open live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app with 13-time champion Rafael Nadal eyeing a remarkable 14th title at his favourite event and 2020 Roland Garros sensation Iga Swiatek aiming to replicate her stunning triumph.

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