Iga Świątek Overcomes Serve Struggles to Reach French Open Third Round

Świątek Marches On in Paris

World No.3 Iga Świątek kept her Roland Garros campaign on track with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Czech world No.35 Sara Bejlek, advancing to the third round for the eighth consecutive year. The match, played in baking 32°C heat on Court Philippe Chatrier, lasted 1 hour and 34 minutes. After the final point, the Paris crowd rose to applaud the four-time champion (2020, 2022–2024), who is bidding to reclaim the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen after a semifinal exit last year to eventual winner Coco Gauff. Świątek was joined in the second round by fellow Poles Hubert Hurkacz, Magda Linette, Magdalena Fręch, and Maja Chwalińska after a strong opening round for the nation.

Frustration Boils Over

Despite the straight-set scoreline, Świątek struggled to find her usual rhythm. She landed only 37% of first serves in a 46-minute opening set and ended the match with 38 unforced errors against 17 winners. Early in the second set, while leading 3-1, a double fault triggered a furious outburst heard across the court.

Don't you fucking see that your hand is stiff?

Coach Francisco Roig encouraged her from the box while psychologist Daria Abramowicz opted for silence. The self-criticism appeared to lift Świątek, who won the next two games and closed out the set 6-3.

A Problem on Serve

The numbers painted a stark picture: Świątek won just 28% of points behind her second serve (7/25) compared to 71% after first deliveries. In a match littered with 11 breaks in 17 games, Bejlek failed even more catastrophically, holding serve just once. Świątek compensated by breaking the Czech seven times and converting 8 of 11 net points. Organizers later described her performance as "uneven" and noted that six of the eight games she has lost through two rounds came on her own serve.

In this type of match, a complete lack of easy points on serve puts Świątek in a difficult situation. She has no chance to catch her breath after countless long rallies, and then errors start to pile up.

Dangerous Road Ahead

Świątek’s next opponent, to be determined on Friday 28 May, will be either world No.73 Magda Linette in an all-Polish duel or No.29 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. The historical records are daunting: Świątek is 0-6 lifetime against Ostapenko, and her last clash with Linette ended in a three-set loss at Miami. Should she progress, likely quarterfinal obstacles include Marta Kostiuk, Elina Svitolina, and Elena Rybakina.

Iga remains the most dangerous player on clay in the world.

The Tennis Letter noted that Świątek has won 28 of her last 29 matches at Roland Garros and has dropped only six sets in 45 career matches at the venue.

€187,000 and Counting

Victory in the second round assured Świątek of €187,000 in prize money, with rewards escalating steeply in the business end of the tournament. A quarterfinalist collects €470,000, a semifinalist €750,000, the runner-up €1.4 million, and the champion a tournament-record €2.8 million.