Swiatek defeats Putintseva to set up fourth-round match with Kerber in Rome

On Saturday, world number one Iga Swiatek (22) defeated Yulia Putintseva (29) 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the Rome Open's round of 16.

Swiatek, the world number one, will next face Angelique Kerber, who defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 7-6, in her bid to become the first person since Serena Williams to win three titles at the Foro Italico.

Swiatek won the 2021 and 2022 editions before losing a year ago in the quarter-finals to eventual champion Elena Rybakina, who withdrew due to illness on Friday.

The Pole entered the tournament having won the Madrid Open the previous weekend and will be aiming for his fourth French Open title later this month.

She worked harder than expected in Saturday's match, falling behind 4-1 and having to save four break points to prevent unseeded Puntintseva from serving in the second.

Swiatek, on the other hand, broke back before levelling the set and went on to win five games in a row, extending her win streak against Puntintseva to four without dropping a set.

Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, advanced after defeating tenth-seeded Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-3 in the Grand Stand Arena.

Osaka is ranked 173 in the world after taking a break from the tour to have her first child, but she has looked in good form with straight-set victories over Clara Burel and Marta Kostyuk before her win over Kasatkina.

SportsLigue