Iga Swiatek beats Nadia Podoroska, eases into US Open third round

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, serves the ball to Nadia Podoroska, of Argentina, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

NEW YORK–Former champion Iga Swiatek marched into the third round of the US Open on Thursday.

Swiatek, whose six Grand Slam titles include the 2022 US Open, defeated Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-2 in the first meeting between the two since Swiatek beat the Argentine on the way to her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2020.

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Apart from a brief scare at 5-3 in the first set, when Swiatek saved four break points, the Polish star was largely untroubled by the former top-40 player now sunk to 449th in the world.

Swiatek broke twice on the way to a 5-1 lead in the second set and closed it out on her own serve, giving herself a match point with a forehand winner and polishing it off after an hour and 11 minutes with a stinging backhand.

It was another encouraging performance for the former world number one, who hadn’t reached a final in 2026 until her run to the title at Toronto in August.

She then came up short in her title defense at Cincinnati, but said her game is trending in the right direction.

“I’m here with better feeling than any other Grand Slam this year,” Swiatek said. “Just trying to enjoy every day and improve the game every day.”