Top-ranked Iga Swiatek has survived in her return to hard courts at the Cincinnati Open, outlasting France’s Varvara Gracheva 6-0 6-7 (6-8) 6-2.
Playing for the first time since claiming bronze on clay for Poland at the Paris Olympics, world No.1 Swiatek set up a third-round match against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine — a 6-3 7-5 winner over New Zealand’s Lulu Sun.
“For sure, the transition is probably the hardest, from like the slowest surface to the fastest surface,” Swiatek said.
“But that’s why I’m still happy with my performance, and looking forward to another match to kind of still do the grinding and implement what I was working on, but not really focusing on the results.”
Swiatek won her third straight French Open title in May and has six WTA Tour victories this season.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Mirra Andreeva beat 11th-seeded American Emma Navarro 6-2 6-2. Andreeva was playing her first match since winning a doubles silver medal in the French capital.
“I just went out there, tried to show my best level, and tried to win a match, and I think I did it,” Andreeva said.
The 17-year-old will next face Czech, and 2016 Cincinnati champion, Karolina Pliskova.
Elsewhere, Toronto semi-finalist Diana Shnaider of Russia, Andreeva’s doubles partner in Paris, beat China’s Zhang Shuai 6-1 6-4.
Danish veteran Caroline Wozniacki also enjoyed a straight-sets win, while Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova were victorious in three.
With AAP.
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au