Swiatek powers into French Open round three

Swiatek powers into French Open round three

Reigning champion Iga Swiatek maintained her bid to become the first woman to successfully defend the French Open title in 16 years by cruising into the third round on Thursday.

The world number one crushed American Claire Liu 6-4, 6-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Swiatek, who turned 22 on Wednesday, will face China’s Wang Xinyu on Saturday for a place in the second week.

The Polish star could lose her world number one ranking for the first time in over a year next week if she fails to lift a fourth Grand Slam singles title.

Justine Henin was the last woman to win back-to-back Roland Garros titles when she lifted her third in a row and fourth in total in 2007.