Day 5 of the 2021 French Open marked the end of the second round matches. Top guns including defending champion Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina and Sofia Kenin were in action. All three of them won their matches in straight sets but 2019 Champion Ash Barty had to retire mid match due to an injury.
Sublime Svitolina sails into the third round
Starting the day’s proceedings on Court Suzanne Lenglen, World No.6 Elina Svitolina wasted little time in advancing to the third round of the French Open with a 6-0,6-4 demolition of American Ann Li. World No.75, Li struggled to create opportunities to break the 26-year-old Ukrainian, who won 12 of her 14 first-serve points to claim an opening-set bagel in just 29 minutes.
The American got on the scoreboard early in the second set and opened up a surprise 3-0 lead with a string of forehand winners. But Svitolina soon found another gear as she reeled off five straight games to book a place in the third round.
Barty out of the tournament
World No.1, Ash Barty withdrew from the French Open during her second round match due to the resurfacing of her prolonged hip injury. The Aussie trailed 6-1,2-2 when she returned to her chair and signalled she was not able to continue against Polish rival Magda Linette on Chatrier.
Kenin continues her good run on Parisian Clay
2020 runner-up Sofia Kenin eased into the third round of the French Open with a 7-5,6-3 victory over fellow American Hailey Baptiste. The No.4 seed, who has been struggling with form this Clay season, notably losing all of her three matches on clay before Roland Garros, will next face another American 28th seed Jessica Pegula.
Swiatek thrashes Peterson
Dominant as ever, defending champion Iga Swiatek stormed into the third round on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson. In the two matches she has played, Swiatek has dropped just 7 games and has held 14 of 16 service games and has broken serve in 11 of 16 return games. She has won 70% points in the first round and 86% points in the second while returning on the second serve.
Other results:
- Anett Kontaveit defeated Kristina Mladenovic (6-2,6-0)
- Jennifer Brady defeated Fiona Ferro (6-4,2-6,7-5)
- Coco Gauff defeated Wang Qiang (6-3,7-6)
- Maria Sakkari defeated Jasmine Paolini (6-2,6-3)
- Sloane Stephens defeated Karolina Pliskova (7-5,6-1)
- Jessica Pegula defeated Tereza Martincova (6-3,6-3)
