Swiatek cruises into second round in Paris as Svitolina huffs and puffs

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek cantered into the second round of the French Open, dispatching Australian wildcard Emerson Jones 6-1 6-2 in quick time under a beaming sun.

The third-seeded Pole, who reigned supreme at Roland Garros in the early 2020s, has not won a title on clay since she lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 2024.

It did not show on court Philippe Chatrier, where she made light work of Jones after an early trade of breaks in the opening set.

Peppering the court with forehand winners, Swiatek had one minor concern in the form of a blister on her right hand that needed care after she stormed through the first set.

Yet another booming forehand by Swiatek sealed the match after exactly one hour.

"I'm just really happy to play on this court; the first matches are for getting used to conditions, I'm happy the way I played today, tactically," said the 24-year-old, who has lost only two matches at Roland Garros in six years.

Her pedigree, however, comes with added pressure.

"Nothing comes easy. I feel with more titles it feels harder because everyone expects you to play perfectly, so you have to stay grounded and not take anything for granted."

Swiatek will take on Czech Sara Bejlek for a place in the third round.

Elsewhere, in-form Rome champion Elina Svitolina survived a huge scare to see off Anna Bondar 3-6 6-1 7-6 (10-3), while Paris Olympics gold medallist Zheng Qinwen struggled to cope with the heat and wilted in a 6-4 6-0 defeat by Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

Zheng has been inconsistent since having elbow surgery last year and told reporters later that she was affected by the loopy shots that Chwalinska used to disrupt her rhythm on the smaller court seven venue.

"She has a good game on clay and the court was really small when she played high balls to me," said Zheng, who is now set to drop from world number 56 to outside the top 100.

World number two Elena Rybakina made short work of Veronika Erjavec with a 6-2 6-2 win for her tour-leading 31st victory this year while former runner-up Jasmine Paolini, Daria Kasatkina, Anastasia Potapova and Amanda Anisimova all sealed routine victories to go through to the next round.