Swiatek Outlasts McNally in 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 Rome Win — Jessica Pegula

Iga Swiatek survived a three-set opener at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, beating Caty McNally 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 in 2 hours, 43 minutes. jessica pegula is in the headline here because the result keeps the No. 4 seed moving in Rome, but the match was far less routine than the opening set suggested.

Swiatek Takes Rome Test

Swiatek led 6-1, 3-1 before McNally forced the match into a grind. The three-time Rome champion served for it at 5-4 in the second set and again at 6-5, only for McNally to break back both times.

Those missed chances turned the middle set into the match’s sharpest turn. McNally kept hanging in with backhands that sailed well over the baseline in both service games, and Swiatek then had to reset after dropping the tiebreak 7-5.

McNally Pushes the Third Set

Swiatek broke for 3-1 in the third set and reached 4-1 before a double fault stopped that push. McNally stayed close long enough to make the final stretch uneasy, but Swiatek reclaimed control for 5-3 and finished it when McNally sent a forehand just wide on match point.

The win carried extra weight because McNally had never beaten Swiatek at the pro level before this meeting. She had taken Swiatek to a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 comeback in a 2018 Roland Garros junior match, and last year she was the only player to win a set from her at Wimbledon.

Navarro Or Cocciaretto Next

Swiatek said afterward, “For sure, not an easy first match.” She also pointed to the conditions, saying, “The conditions were kind of heavy. The ball was flying slow. So we had many long rallies, many moments where you could create a lot on the court.”

Her next opponent will be either No. 28 seed Emma Navarro or Elisabetta Cocciaretto. For Swiatek, the third-round berth came from surviving a match that swung away from a straight-set script and still ended with the top seed’s heavier shot-making holding up when it mattered most.