Iga Swiatek advances to French Open second round

Iga Swiatek, the defending champion, had a shaky start but managed to advance to the second round of the French Open with a straight-sets victory over Cristina Bucsa. 

She won 6-4, 6-0 and is now aiming to become the first woman since 2007 to successfully defend the title at Roland Garros. 

Swiatek, currently the world number one, is aware that she could lose her top ranking to Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina in the tournament. She has a good understanding of the court and is focused on the future. In their previous meeting at the Australian Open, Swiatek had only lost one game to Bucsa.

During the first set, Swiatek struggled to find her rhythm, with five breaks of serve occurring. However, once she secured the first set, she dominated the second set and defeated Bucsa, who is ranked 70th in the world, in just 22 minutes. Her next match will be against either Ylena In-Albon or Claire Liu.

Swiatek's success is unique among active players, as she is the only woman currently playing a full schedule to have won three Grand Slam singles titles. Many accomplished players, including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, and Ashleigh Barty, are not currently participating due to various reasons such as retirement, pregnancy, or other commitments.

With her recent victories, Swiatek has emerged as a dominant figure in women's tennis. She has won three out of the last 11 Grand Slam events and is considered the favorite to win her fourth at Roland Garros. Swiatek, born in the 2000s, is one of only three women from her generation to have won a major title.

At just 22 years old, Swiatek has already achieved remarkable milestones in her career. She won all seven ITF finals at the beginning of her professional journey, including the Wimbledon junior event as an unseeded player at the age of 17. In her first year on the Hologic WTA Tour, she reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and finished the year ranked 61st. 

In 2020, she won her first French Open title as an unseeded teenager. She will also be featured in Part 2 of Netflix's "Break Point."