Swiatek rebounds in Rome following defeat to Gauff in Madrid
Iga Swiatek of Poland recovered from one of the most challenging defeats of her career, achieving a decisive 6-1, 6-0 victory over local player Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round of the Italian Open on Thursday. Swiatek disclosed that...
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Iga Swiatek of Poland recovered from one of the most challenging defeats of her career, achieving a decisive 6-1, 6-0 victory over local player Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round of the Italian Open on Thursday.
Swiatek disclosed that she was handling "personal stuff" when she suffered a loss to Coco Gauff of the U.S., ending with a score of 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals of the Madrid Open last week.
As the world No. 2, Swiatek holds three titles from Rome but has yet to reach a final on the tour this year. She improved her record to 21-2 in Rome since 2021.
"I felt like the ball was kind of listening to me today and I had full control over the match, so it's always pretty comfortable to play a match like that," Swiatek remarked. "You just need to continue the work you've been doing and not expect that it's going to happen more often."
The Italian Open serves as the final major clay-court warmup ahead of the French Open, which begins on May 25. Swiatek has claimed four of her five Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.
Next, she will compete against Danielle Collins of the U.S.
In another second-round match, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan staged a comeback to defeat lucky loser Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland, finishing with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Osaka had been set to face ninth-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain, who withdrew due to a lingering back injury from 2025.
"Unless she plays another lead-up, this is the only clay-court tournament left [before Roland Garros]," Osaka stated. "I was 90-percent expecting to play her. And I didn't know lucky losers could replace seeds, so I thought if she pulled out, I'd get a walkover. I learned a lot of rules about tournaments today."
Golubic posed a significant challenge for Osaka in the first two sets with her variety of slices, drop shots, and one-handed backhands. However, the four-time Grand Slam champion ultimately triumphed.
"I thought, if I could get a flight at midnight I could beat the time zone and come back with a week before the French Open," Osaka noted. "It's a really terrible way of thinking and if [coach] Patrick [Mouratoglou] reads this, he's going to be pissed. But I'm glad I was able to switch my train of thought before that happened."
Next, she will take on Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
Swiatek disclosed that she was handling "personal stuff" when she suffered a loss to Coco Gauff of the U.S., ending with a score of 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals of the Madrid Open last week.
As the world No. 2, Swiatek holds three titles from Rome but has yet to reach a final on the tour this year. She improved her record to 21-2 in Rome since 2021.
"I felt like the ball was kind of listening to me today and I had full control over the match, so it's always pretty comfortable to play a match like that," Swiatek remarked. "You just need to continue the work you've been doing and not expect that it's going to happen more often."
The Italian Open serves as the final major clay-court warmup ahead of the French Open, which begins on May 25. Swiatek has claimed four of her five Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.
Next, she will compete against Danielle Collins of the U.S.
In another second-round match, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan staged a comeback to defeat lucky loser Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland, finishing with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Osaka had been set to face ninth-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain, who withdrew due to a lingering back injury from 2025.
"Unless she plays another lead-up, this is the only clay-court tournament left [before Roland Garros]," Osaka stated. "I was 90-percent expecting to play her. And I didn't know lucky losers could replace seeds, so I thought if she pulled out, I'd get a walkover. I learned a lot of rules about tournaments today."
Golubic posed a significant challenge for Osaka in the first two sets with her variety of slices, drop shots, and one-handed backhands. However, the four-time Grand Slam champion ultimately triumphed.
"I thought, if I could get a flight at midnight I could beat the time zone and come back with a week before the French Open," Osaka noted. "It's a really terrible way of thinking and if [coach] Patrick [Mouratoglou] reads this, he's going to be pissed. But I'm glad I was able to switch my train of thought before that happened."
Next, she will take on Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
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