ROME — No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek took the scenic route into the Internazionali BNL d\u2019Italia third round, surviving a valiant comeback from Caty McNally to win 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 in 2 hours, 43 minutes.<\/p>\n
At 6-1, 3-1, the three-time Rome champion Swiatek appeared to be cruising through her opener. Her topspin was jumping off the court, she was striking a series of forehand winners, and she was breaking down McNally\u2019s drive backhand in extended rallies. But she squandered three break points for a 4-1 lead with cheap unforced errors, and from that point on the match turned into a battle.<\/p>\n
McNally — the only player to win a set from Swiatek at Wimbledon last year — had never beaten the Polish star at pro level. But she did have a memorable victory over Swiatek on clay — a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 comeback in the 2018 Roland Garros junior event. As McNally began to impose her touch on the match, she threatened a similar turnaround.<\/p>\n
Swiatek served for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set and reached 30-30 both times, only to lapse into errors, getting broken on backhands that sailed well over the baseline on each occasion.<\/p>\n
As her accuracy wavered, McNally grew more effective at drawing mistakes from Swiatek with her defense. McNally\u2019s slice had little impact through the first set and a half, but her ability to reset points with it became a key factor in turning the second set.<\/p>\n
In the third set, it nearly unraveled again for Swiatek. She broke McNally for 3-1, but missed a chance to extend the lead to 4-1 with a double fault, then handed the break straight back with a string of errors.<\/p>\n
But this time, Swiatek regained her focus. As McNally held a point to level at 4-4, Swiatek swatted away a return to deny her. Two dialed-in clean winners followed, and then the break for 5-3. There would be no repeat of her second-set travails. Solid offensive patterns brought Swiatek to match point, and she converted as McNally sent a forehand just wide.<\/p>\n
Swiatek will next face either No. 28 seed Emma Navarro or home hope Elisabetta Cocciaretto.<\/p>\n
How Iga Swiatek problem-solved her way past Caty McNally<\/p>\n
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