Prior to Thursday, the last time Iga Swiatek failed to advance beyond the second spherical at a Grand Slam occasion came all the method back in 2019. Despite being pushed laborious by Suzan Lamens, Swiatek just barely managed to keep that streak intact.
Swiatek was pushed to the restrict by Lamens on Thursday, narrowly successful the second-round match 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
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It appeared like Swiatek would cruise to an straightforward win early on. Swiatek dominated in the first set, notching 9 winners and two aces to take the early 6-1 win. But some misplays sunk Swiatek in the second set. Two double faults and 12 unforced errors proved to be the distinction vs. Lamens, who won the second set 6-4 to power a third set.
After leaping out to an early lead in the remaining set, Swiatek allowed Lamens to get back into the match. Lamens rallied back in the third set to briefly cut Swiatek’s lead to 5-4 before she finally put Lamens away 6-4.
While Lamens fought back in the match, the third set proved to be Swiatek’s best. She picked up 4 aces and dedicated just seven unforced errors in the remaining set. It was the only set in which Swiatek turned in fewer unforced errors than Lamens.
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Had Swiatek lost, it would have marked her earliest Grand Slam exit since 2019, when she was defeated in the second spherical of the U.S. Open. Swiatek — who was competing in the occasion for the first time in her profession — was eradicated by Anastasija Sevastova in 2019.
After that loss, Swiatek blossomed into one of the best gamers in the sport. After making it to the fourth spherical of the Australian Open in 2020, Swiatek took home her first Grand Slam title at the French Open a few months laster. Swiatek made deep runs at each Grand Slam in 2021, though failed to choose up any wins. Since then, however, she’s won 5 Grand Slams.
That excellence led to Swiatek being the No. 1 ranked girls’s participant from April 2022 to Sept. 2023. Despite shedding that title, Swiatek continued to play glorious tennis, and ranked as the girls’s No. 2 getting into the 2025 U.S. Open.
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Entering Thursday, Lamens had never superior previous the second spherical of any Grand Slam. After failing to advance previous the qualifying spherical in eight totally different Grand Slams, Lamens made it to the second spherical at the 2025 Australian Open. She adopted that up with a first-round loss at the 2025 French Open.
While Lamens failed to advance previous the second spherical at the U.S. Open on Thursday, her near-win over Swiatek goes down as the best match in Lamens’ skilled profession so far.
After Thursday’s early scare, Swiatek will look to get back on observe Friday, when she’s scheduled to take on Anna Kalinskaya in the third spherical.
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