New York (AFP) – The Polish Iga Swiatek reached the third round of the US Open this Thursday in a special reunion with the Argentine Nadia Podoroska.

First modification: 09/03/2026 - 18:47

Swiatek, current number eight in the WTA, had no trouble beating Podoroska (449th) 6-3 and 6-2 at the start of the day in New York.

The 25-year-old Pole has surpassed the second round in all the Grand Slams played since 2020, the year in which she won her first major crown at Roland Garros with Podoroska as a surprising opponent in the semifinals.

"I remembered how he played," Swiatek said after the win. "He knew how his ball felt on the racket, but obviously a lot can change in six years."

Podoroska was the great revelation of the 2020 Parisian Grand Slam, played with a very reduced capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic, starting from 131st place in the world ranking.

The Argentine, at 23 years old at the time, was the first player to get into the top four at Roland Garros starting from the qualifying phase.

His magical journey ended in the semifinals at the hands of Swiatek, who later won the first of his six Grand Slam titles at the age of 19.

Six years later, the former world number one was relentless in her service this Thursday, allowing only 22% points on Podoroska's first serve, and neutralized every opportunity the South American had to get back into the game.

Trailing 5-3 in the first set, Podoroska had four balls to break Swiatek's serve, who resisted the attack and took over the set.

The Pole began the second set with another break that paved the way for her to seal the victory in one hour and 11 minutes.

Chasing her second US Open crown, Swiatek will face the Czech Marie Bouzkova (26) or the British Harriet Dart (131) in the third round.

© 2026 AFP

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