Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek was made to work hard for her place in the US Open third round, admitting she “made some mistakes” during a patchy 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory over Dutch world number 66 Suzan Lamens.
The second seed looked in control early, breezing through the opening set in typical fashion. However, her form dipped in the second, allowing Lamens back into the contest. Swiatek, twice a break up in that set, grew visibly frustrated as errors crept into her game.
The 24-year-old Pole regained her composure in the decider, moving ahead with a double break before closing out the match in two hours and six minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It wasn’t an easy match and I made some mistakes,” Swiatek said during her on-court interview. “I’m happy that at the end I could be more proactive. The third set is a reset. You’ve got to start from the beginning and I knew I could play a little more precisely, so I just tried to do that.”
Swiatek will next face 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya, who progressed with a 6-1 7-5 win over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.
Elsewhere, Naomi Osaka delivered a confident performance in her 6-3 6-1 win over fellow American Hailey Baptiste. Despite the scoreline, the two-time US Open champion admitted to feeling on edge throughout the match.
“I was stressed the entire time,” said Osaka, who beat Baptiste in a tough three-setter in Miami earlier this year. “I was trying to focus on not giving her any free points.”
The 27-year-old, who gave birth to her first child in 2023, is continuing her return to form after reaching the Canadian Open final earlier this month.
“I’m excited to be moving better and I feel really healthy,” she added, as she chases a fifth Grand Slam title and first since the 2021 Australian Open.
Amanda Anisimova also advanced to the last 32 with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 win over 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint. The Wimbledon finalist was pushed in the first set but pulled away with a dominant tie-break and cruised through the second. Anisimova has now won four of her last six matches since her defeat to Swiatek at SW19.
