World number one Iga Swiatek enjoyed a winning start at the Paris 2024 Olympics tennis tournament on Saturday as torrential rain swept across Roland Garros, causing major disruptions to the schedule.
Swiatek battled to a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania. The 23-year-old Pole, back at the venue where she captured her fourth French Open title last month, had the advantage of playing under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I’m happy to get through. The atmosphere was a little bit different, so I was a little more nervous,” Swiatek said. “But I have the chance to work on a few things tomorrow so my level can be higher in the second round.”
After securing two breaks in a comfortable first set, the top seed had to fight back from a break down in the second set to reach 5-5 before sweeping the next two games. Swiatek sealed victory when Begu double-faulted.
Swiatek, who only made it to the second round on her Olympics debut in Tokyo three years ago, will face either Diane Parry of France or Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska for a place in the last 16.
Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who was easily defeated by Swiatek in the French Open final, also advanced to the second round with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Romania’s Ana Bogdan.
“It’s great to come back here; it’s a different kind of tournament when it’s the Olympics,” said Paolini. “I really love to play for my country, but I feel a little more pressure.”
While Swiatek and Paolini advanced, the start of play on the outside courts was delayed by more than four hours due to rain. A total of 40 matches were scheduled to be played on the uncovered courts on the opening day.
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