Iga Swiatek ties Chris Evert's historic Italian Open record after 2R win

Iga Swiatek began her bid for her third consecutive Italian Open title in flawless fashion on Friday (May 12), not dropping a game in a straight-sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The World No.1 player appeared to be in excellent form as she destroyed Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-0, to easily advance to the third round in Rome, in less than an hour.

With this win, the Pole earned her second bagel (6-0, 6-0) at the WTA 1000 tournament. She thus tied tennis legend Chris Evert's historical record of two bagel victories at the tournament in the open era.

Iga Swiatek, who lost in the finals of Madrid last weekend, looked in great form in the tournament which she won last year before going on to win the French Open. She will now face either Bernarda Pera or Lesia Tsurenko in the next round.

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"She is fully prepared and clay is her best surface" - Chris Evert on Iga Swiatek's chances at the French Open

Iga Swiatek pictured at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2023 - Day Five.

In a recent press conference, Chris Evert stated that Iga Swiatek is playing smartly and not taking on too much at once by scheduling her breaks. She also stated that the 21-year-old is "fully prepared" to defend her title at the 2023 French Open.

"I really liked the pace at which Iga Swiatek has walked in recent weeks. She didn't play in Miami or the Billie Jean King Cup. She is being smart in her training, scheduling her breaks," Evert said, as per Punto de Break.

"She is fully prepared and clay is her best surface. She has both a great defense and a great offensive arsenal. She takes the ball out of your hand and takes control of every exchange by moving so well and hitting early," she added further.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion went on to say that Swiatek has plenty of room to improve, particularly on her serve. Evert added that Aryna Sabalenka, of all the players, could pose a threat to her in the upcoming clay court Major. She also praised the World No. 2's performance.

"I think the area she can improve on is serving and if someone wants to beat her, she must constantly attack her second serve. Maybe someone like Aryna Sabalenka can do that, but she has to be consistent and not over-attack," Evert said.

"I love the way Aryna is playing. She has clearly established herself as the second best player in the world and she is much more patient both in exchanges and with herself," she added.