Swiatek Begins French Open Title Defence With Statement Victory

World number one Iga Swiatek began her French Open title defence with a 6-4 6-0 win over Cristina Bucsa on Tuesday.

The Pole was made to work hard for the first set but eventually kicked into gear to beat her opponent after a slow start.

Inside the opening five games, she was broken twice before she fended off a break point to complete the turnaround at 5-4 and close out the first set in 47 minutes.

Swiatek however cruised through the second set, winning eight straight games to wrap up the proceedings in just 22 minutes.

"First rounds are tricky, especially in the first set," she reflected.

"I don’t remember playing in such windy conditions here. 

"I needed to adjust to that and work on my footwork, but I'm happy I broke through that and played better in the second set."

Despite the straightforward win to book her place in round two, concerns about Swiatek’s fitness after she was forced to retire from the Italian Open with a thigh injury have not been silenced.

When quizzed on events over the last month in her post-match interview, she replied: "I’m trying not to come back to that," she said.

"This is a totally different tournament. I played here last year, and that was a long time ago. 

"This is a totally new journey and I have experience of playing here, and I know it’s always comfortable. I’m just focused on the future."

Should Swiatek make a deep run at the Roland Garros and eventually clinch the title, she will become the first woman in 16 years to successfully defend the French Open title.