Iga Świątek reached the third round of the French Open on Wednesday, defeating world No. 35 Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 to advance into the tournament’s last 32. The four-time Roland Garros champion—who won the title three years running from 2022 to 2024—moved safely through a match that included periods of disruption from blustery conditions and some shaky serving from both players.
Świątek, 24, arrived in Paris after training at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca and recently beginning a coaching partnership with Francisco Roig, Nadal’s former coach. She said on court that a week in Mallorca “gave me a lot of motivation,” crediting the preparation for her clay-court form. The Pole opened the tournament with a routine win over Australian wildcard Emerson Jones before meeting tougher opposition in Bejlek, the 20-year-old Czech who won in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
The match featured an early run of breaks, with three consecutive service breaks in the opening exchanges as a gusting wind affected play on centre court. Świątek gradually seized control from the baseline, though Bejlek fought back to save a set point and break to 5-2, capitalising on two back-to-back double faults by Świątek in that game. Świątek responded decisively, breaking again to close out the first set.
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In the second set Świątek held a long opening game before breaking in the next and consolidating her advantage with heavier groundstrokes. Bejlek continued to trouble herself on serve and dropped two service games, allowing Świątek to close out the set 6-3 and secure passage to round three without needing a decider.Świątek’s win keeps her on course as she seeks to reclaim the Roland Garros title after last year’s semi-final exit to top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Her immediate focus will be on maintaining consistency through the early rounds and converting the momentum from her Mallorca preparation and new coaching arrangement into deeper progress at Roland Garros. Bejlek’s performance, despite the defeat, underscored her tactical variety and resilience: she mixed rhythms effectively and pushed Świątek at several junctures. The Czech’s run and Świątek’s adjustments under wind and pressure will both be factors to watch as the tournament progresses.
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