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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
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Paul Myers

Defending champion Swiatek sweeps into second round at French Open

Iga Swiatek won her third French Open singles title in 2023. AP - Jean-Francois Badias

Top seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek set up a second round showdown with former world number one Naomi Osaka following a straight sets destruction on Monday of the French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean.

It finished 6-1, 6-2 to the 22-year-old Pole who needed only an hour to advance.

Swiatek, who is chasing a fourth French Open crown, breezed through the opener on the back of crunching returns which left Jeanjean leaden footed.

Jeanjean, 28, showed an element of revolt at the start of the seond set when she broke Swiatek's service. But Swiatek broke back immediately to level at 1-1.

From 2-2, though, it was one-way traffic. Swiatek held for 3-2 and Jeanjean's second doouble fault of the match gave Swiatek a break point for a 4-2 lead.

Swiatek pounced on a weak second serve to drive a return to Jeanjean's backhand which she could only prod into the net.

Swiatek won the next eight points to wrap up the set 6-2 and the match.

Meeting

On Wednesday, she will play Osaka for the first time on clay. The pair have met on the North American hard courts where Osaka won their first encounter in the last-16 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto in 2019 while Swiatek was on her way up and Osaka was at the height of her powers.

Swiatek claimed the last showdown – the Miami final in 2022.

"I watched her a lot when I was pregnant," Osaka said ahead of Wednesday's clash. "And honestly, I think it's an honour to play her in the French Open because she's won more than once here. For sure, it's like a very big challenge for me."

Elsewhere in the top half of the women's draw, eighth seed Ons Jabeur from Tunisia beat the unseeded American Sachia Vickery 6-3, 6-2 and fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova also enjoyed as straight sets outing. The 24-year-old Czech beat Rebeka Masarova 6-1, 6-3.

There were also first round wins for the 12th seed Jasmine Paolina from Italy and the 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova from Russia.

In the bottom half of the men's draw, second seed Jannik Sinner dispatched the American Chris Eubanks 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 and ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also advanced to the second round. The 2021 runner-up beat Marton Fucsovics 7-6, 6-4, 6-1.

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