Iga Swiatek battled through a tricky opening-round test at the Italian Open to book her place in the third round, later admitting the ‘heavy’ conditions in Rome are making it difficult for players to close out points and matches quickly.
The Pole overcame American Caty McNally 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 in a physical two-hour contest on Campo Centrale, surviving a significant second-set wobble before regaining control in the decider.
Swiatek appeared on course for a straightforward victory after dominating the opening set and twice moving within a game of the match in the second.
However, McNally continued to pressure the former world No 1 with aggressive returning, forcing errors at key moments.
Swiatek was unable to serve out the contest at both 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set, despite reaching 30-30 in both service games.
The five-time Grand Slam champion also missed a major opportunity earlier in the set when she failed to convert three double-break points at 3-1, with a string of unforced errors allowing McNally back into the contest.
The American, who was the only player to take a set off Swiatek during her Wimbledon title run last season, once again proved a difficult matchup.
“For sure, it was a tough match. Caty [McNally] really played great,” the Pole said during her post-match interview.
“She was fighting for every ball and played some amazing shots in defence.
“I had to really stay patient.
“Some mistakes happened, especially when she played a bit slower, sometimes with the wind it was hard to adjust to the ball.
“It was not an easy match, but I’m happy I was solid at the end and in the important moments, and I kept it together, and at the end of the match, I was dictating.”
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Swiatek will next face either American Emma Navarro or Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto as she attempts to rediscover momentum on one of her favourite surfaces.
The 23-year-old is a three-time champion in Rome, having lifted the trophy in 2021, 2022, and 2024, but arrives at this year’s tournament under more scrutiny than usual following an inconsistent opening few months of the season.
Swiatek has yet to reach a semi-final in 2026 and currently holds a modest 14-8 win-loss record, a sharp contrast to the dominant standards she established over the past several years on clay.
Her difficult start to the year also led to a major coaching change as, following a surprise opening-match defeat to Magda Linette at the Miami Open, Swiatek ended her long-term partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Shortly after, it was announced that she had brought in Francisco Roig, the former coach of Rafael Nadal, who spent nearly two decades working alongside the Spanish legend.
“The most important thing is to get used to the conditions and get used to what you cannot do on this court,” she added.
“I remember many tough matches here, especially at the beginning of the tournament.
“You need to stay patient and fight for every point, because the court is super slow, especially when it’s a bit colder than usual.
“The court is heavy so it’s hard to finish the rally.
“You need to really be solid.
“For sure, the conditions are tough, that’s why you can see so many long matches.”
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