Four time French Open champion Iga Swiatek progressed to the last 16 at Roland Garros after defeating fellow Pole Magda Linette 6-4, 6-4 on Friday.
The third seed recovered from an early deficit after Linette moved 2-0 ahead in the opening set. Swiatek responded by breaking serve three times to take control before securing the set.
Swiatek then built a 4-1 lead in the second set as she looked on course for a straightforward finish. Linette managed to reduce the gap late in the match, but Swiatek completed the win in one hour and 25 minutes on another warm day in Paris.
“It was a good match. I played much better than Miami,” said Swiatek, referencing her defeat to Linette earlier this year. Since that result, Swiatek appointed Francisco Roig, who previously worked for many years with Rafael Nadal, to join her coaching team.
The Polish player will now face Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round. The Ukrainian continued her strong clay court form with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic earlier in the day.
Kostyuk has now won 15 consecutive matches on clay following title victories in Madrid and Rouen this season.
“Marta is having a great season. She always had a game to play well,” Swiatek said.
“So good for her. But I’m going to focus on myself, prepare tactically, as before any other match, and we’ll see.”
