Paris, May 28 (IANS) Emma Raducanu’s struggles against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek continued on the red clay of Roland Garros as the British number two was handed a resounding 6-1, 6-2 defeat in their second-round encounter on Wednesday.

It marked Raducanu’s fifth straight loss to the defending champion, once again exposing the gulf in class between the 2021 US Open winner and the elite tier of the women’s game.

The match started with a glimmer of hope for Raducanu as she earned a break point in the second game. But once Swiatek held serve, the floodgates opened.

The Pole, a four-time Roland Garros champion and widely regarded as the ‘Queen of Clay’, raced through the rest of the first set, exploiting Raducanu’s unreliable second serve and forcing errors off both wings.

Swiatek wrapped up the opening set in just 35 minutes, sending a clear message that she remained the player to beat in Paris, despite a less-than-convincing clay-court swing leading into the tournament.

Raducanu, ranked 41st in the world and still searching for consistency after a stop-start 2024 season, showed brief resistance early in the second set. After being broken for 2-1, she threatened to level the match in a marathon fourth game, earning three break points.

From there, Raducanu began to fade—both physically and mentally. Having struggled with illness earlier in the week, she showed signs of fatigue and had no answers as Swiatek closed out the final three games with ruthless efficiency.

Speaking courtside after her dominant win, which marked her 23rd consecutive victory at Roland Garros following titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024, Iga Swiatek said: “I felt good on the court and I thought I could do whatever I planned, and whatever I wanted to. I just needed to adjust to the wind because the conditions were pretty tricky today.

“I’m happy that I did that well, and I’m through.

“I honestly just love playing here; this place really inspires me and makes me work harder. Some time off before helped me a little bit, and I’m just ready to fight for it and compete.”

–IANS

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