World No. 1 Iga Swiatek admitted she wasn’t happy with losing her breaks in the second set versus Danka Kovinic but added she was glad that she was able to close out the match in two sets.
After two very convincing wins, Swiatek was tested a bit by Kovinic in the French Open third round.
Swiatek didn’t win easy against Kovinic but a 6-3 7-5 victory helped her reach the last-16 and clinch her 31st consecutive win.
Swiatek claimed the first break of the match in the second game but Kovinic broke back in the seventh game.
Blowing an early break didn’t impact Swiatek, who broke Kovinic again in the eighth game and served out for the first set in the following game.
After winning the first set, Swiatek claimed back-to-back breaks in the second set and opened a comfortable 4-1 lead.
Just when it seemed the match was over, Kovinic earned back-to-back breaks and took a 5-4 lead in the second set.
After losing four consecutive breaks, Swiatek responded by winning the next three games and clinching a straight-set win.
Swiatek: I had to play smart versus Kovinic
“For sure I felt like she used my power in some moments so I had to adjust a little bit more to what she was playing, and for sure played a little bit more smart,” Swiatek explained, per the WTA website. “I changed the tactics in second set a little bit to play less risky, but then I did some mistakes. I lost my breaks. I’m not perfectly happy with that, but overall I’m happy with the performance, and that I came back in the second set.”
Swiatek plays next rising star Zheng Qinven, who upset 2018 French Open champion Simona Halep in the second round.
“I have heard some other players talking about her. I’m sure that she’s in the right place for her to be, because she’s playing really well. Even when she lost some matches, people were really saying that she has a talent,” Swiatek told WTA insider.