Superb Swiatek sweeps aside Bouchard at Roland Garros

PARIS, France – Iga Swiatek hit 30 winners and made just 15 unforced errors as she progressed to the fourth round of the French Open for the second year in succession with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory over 2014 semifinalist Eugenie Bouchard.

On a cold and heavy lunchtime, the 19-year-old impressed with the quality of her hitting and variety of her play throughout the one-hour 15-minute long encounter, claiming the first set thanks to a trio of breaks before going on to dominate the second after an early wobble.

The WTA World No.54 will meet either Amanda Anisimova or No.1 seed Simona Halep, who eliminated her at the same stage last year, in the last 16.

Having breezed through encounters against Hsieh Su-Wei and Marketa Vondrousova, losing an aggregate total of eight games, the Pole was given a more thorough examination against an opponent starting to find her way following some difficult months.

Bouchard, though, could not find the penetration that allowed her to overcome Daria Gavrilova in the previous round, despite a clear willingness to be aggressive and get to net. Swiatek showed an impressive variety of skills, with her ability to hit a relentless stream of winners evident in the opening game as she struck three to break early.

Although this advantage was quickly wiped out, the decisive break arrived in the fifth game, albeit with a slice of luck as a passing shot kissed the top of the net to evade Bouchard’s racquet and drop in court. 

Indeed, the players made a comparable number of unforced errors in the opening set, yet the winners count overwhelmingly favored Swiatek, who delivered a total of 20.

The opening frame was sealed in 40 minutes in part thanks to a corner-to-corner backhand winner as she produced a third break.

Set two followed a similar pattern, with Swiatek striking out positively to earn an early break only for Bouchard to reel her back in the following two games.

Swiatek was enduring her most uncertain period of the match and might have been more severely punished, but her 25-year-old opponent, who continued to show an aggressive mindset and a positive attitude, missed a couple of presentable opportunities to move ahead in the set with a break.

Indeed, this squandered chance proved decisive. Swiatek stuck a dagger into the heart of Bouchard by breaking in the sixth game thanks to the most sumptuous backhand down the line, then highlighted her restored confidence with a stunning dropshot, the type of which she employed at regular intervals throughout this match, at the start of the seventh to open up a 5-2 lead.

A wide backhand sealed Bouchard’s fate as she was broken in the following game, propelling Swiatek into the second week once more.