Make it 30 in a row. Iga Swiatek's winning streak continued Thursday in the second round of the French Open with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over American Alison Riske.
Riske famously defeated Garbiñe Muguruza at the BNP Paribas Open in March from 6-0, 3-0 down, but there was no repeat to be had in Paris against the World No.1, though she did save three break points in the 10th game of the match to get on the board. She also saved match point at 6-0, 5-2 with a second-serve ace.
Swiatek hit 23 winners to 15 unforced errors in 61 minutes, and she lost just 10 points in seven service games. She improved to 3-0 against Riske with the victory, with all three wins coming on clay; they played in both Madrid and Rome last year.
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Moves like Iga 💃#RolandGarros | @iga_swiatek pic.twitter.com/jS1CfgiOUD
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2022
Iga in the zone: Over the course of her winning streak, Swiatek has been on the record saying that she's been taking her matches just one point at a time. That mentality was on full display against Riske at the start of the second set.
After holding serve to lead 6-0, 1-0, Swiatek sat down in her chair, sipping from her water bottle and expecting a full changeover; she knowingly jumped up moments later after an amusing exchange with chair umpire Emmanuel Joseph, complete with a nearly literal spit-take.
Everything you need to know about Swiatek’s 30-match winning streak
When you're so in the zone and think it's a full changeover when it's 1-0 🫢#RolandGarros | @iga_swiatek pic.twitter.com/ykx8SYlCY8
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2022
Montenegro's Danka Kovinic will be Swiatek's next opponent. After upsetting No.25 seed Liudmila Samsonova in Round 1, she matched her best Grand Slam performance with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Kovinic also reached the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Round 3 at @rolandgarros 🎾🥂
— Danka Kovinić (@DankaKovinic) May 26, 2022
Hvala na divnim riječima i podršci ❤️🇲🇪 pic.twitter.com/CP2ZlzYXLt
Sabalenka eases past Brengle, Rogers upsets Collins
After needed three sets to beat French wildcard Chole Paquet in Round 1, No.7 seed Aryna Sabalenka reset for the second round. She's through to the last 32 in Paris for the third year running thanks to a 6-1, 6-3 win over American Madison Brengle.
Sabalenka broke Brengle five times in a 62-minute victory, and hit 37 winners to 24 unforced errors. Her plus-13 differential between winners and unforced errors was a cleaner shower than the 42 winners to 50 unforced errors she struck against Paquet in Round 1. Though she was the bigger hitter in each of her first two rounds, Sabalenka's third round foe will no doubt match her for power. She'll face No. 28 seed Camila Giorgi of Italy next.
Elsewhere in the Top 10, and in a match that guaranteed an American in Round 3, No.9 seed Danielle Collins was beaten by compatriot Shelby Rogers, 6-4, 6-3. It's Rogers' sixth career win against a Top 10 player and second this year. She stayed strong down the stretch, though Collins put the pressure on when trailing 4-0 in the opener and 5-1 in the second set.
"It's always good to move through without too much drama ... there were little momentum shifts today, but not too much drama," Rogers told Tennis Channel in victory. "I felt like she started serving a little bit better [from 4-0]. I made a couple of mistakes and felt like my energy dropped a little bit. I made it a point to get some positive self-talk going, jump around a little bit, get myself into the match again.
"She starts so strong and brings the energy from the very first point. If she's on top of the ball, she can hit a winner from just about anywhere if she wants. I knew I had to counter that today. It was nice to get a quick start in both sets, but holding onto it was a different thing."
A quarterfinalist in Paris in 2015, Rogers will next face No.20 seed Daria Kasatkina with an opportunity to return to the second week.