Top seed Iga Swiatek eases past Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to race into US Open second round
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ByEurosport
Updated 30/08/2022 at 23:31 GMT
It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Iga Swiatek in the first set of her 2022 US Open match against Jasmine Paolini but the second set was very impressive as the top seed eased into the second with a 6-3 6-0 win over her Italian opponent. In the second round Swiatek will face the winner of the first round match between Sloane Stephens and Greet Minnen.
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A strong performance from top seed Iga Swiatek saw her ease past Jasmine Paolini in straight sets, 6-3 6-0, to race into the second round of the US Open.
Swiatek, the world No.1, was mightily impressive in parts as she cruised past Paolini, making a bagel in the second set having been broken twice in the opening set.
After an inconsistent spell in which she crashed out of Wimbledon at the third round and suffered an exit in the quarter finals of the BNP Paribas Poland Open in Warsaw, Swiatek looked like she was finally recapturing her form as she wrapped up the match in 67 minutes.
"I think I found my rhythm and made her run a bit more, because at first we had some good rallies from the middle [of the court]," Swiatek said afterwards.
"I wanted to use my angles more and I think I did that pretty well.
“I really like playing these first matches because [they’re] good tests for me. I can find my rhythm. The last few tournaments I’ve started with byes, so it’s great to be able to play some matches! We’re starting from an even position and I can implement what we’ve been working on in practice.”
It was obvious that Paolini was going to struggle to match the power of the number one seed, who made two early breaks after holding to love in her first service game to race into a 4-1 lead.
Swiatek looked firm favourite to make it 5-1 but the Italian fought back, conjuring up the break point with a smash and the world No.1 then misused a backhand to allow Paolini a break back. Her good work was undone, however, as the Pole landed her seventh winner of the set via the backhand and the Italian was unable to save the break point.
The first set was wrapped up in 37 minutes following a forehand volley from the top seed – but not before Paolini made another break to make it 5-3, suggesting there was room for improvement from Swiatek.
It was a much more controlled and clinical showing from Swiatek in the second set as she held service with ease before making another break thanks to her effective backhand.
By this stage, Paolini was really struggling to keep up with the blistering pace of her opponent, and a double-fault on break point gave Swiatek a second straight break. The Italian finally began to make a fight of it late on in the second set but couldn’t prevent her illustrious opponent from making it 5-0.
Swiatek made another break on her second match point to clinch the bagel and secure the victory in just one hour and six minutes.
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