Swiatek survives scare as Sabalenka and Paolini cruise into Italian Open third round

Iga Swiatek was made to work hard on Friday before defeating Caty McNally 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to advance to the third round of the Italian Open in Rome.

The top seed started brightly at the Foro Italico, recovering from an early break to win six straight games and take control of the opening set.

McNally responded strongly in the second set, breaking Swiatek twice when she served for the match and winning the tie-break to force a decider.

In the final set, Swiatek moved 3-1 ahead but was dragged back to 3-3 before sealing victory with three consecutive games.

“It was a tough match, Caty really played great,” Swiatek said.

“I had to be patient. For sure, some mistakes happened. It was not an easy match. I’m really happy I was solid at the end and in the important moments. I kept it together.”

She will play either Emma Navarro or Elisabetta Cocciaretto next as she aims for her first clay title since the 2024 French Open.

Also advancing, Aryna Sabalenka beat Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3 and expressed satisfaction with her level.

“I’m super happy to be through. She’s a great player. We had a lot of tough matches in the past,” Sabalenka said.

“I’m of course happy with the level I played and to get this tough win.”

She faces Sorana Cirstea in the next round.

Meanwhile, Jasmine Paolini began her title defence with a comeback 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4 win over Leolia Jeanjean.

Paolini described the match as inconsistent but satisfying, saying: “This match was a bit of up and downs, for sure. But I remember last year, I mean, also a lot of up and downs during the tournament.”

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