Swiatek’s Struggles Continue as Title Defense in Rome Ended by Collins

 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
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Swiatek’s Struggles Continue as Title Defense in Rome Ended by Collins

 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)

Holder Iga Swiatek crashed out of the Italian Open to American Danielle Collins after a 6-1 7-5 third-round loss on Saturday in a major upset that will cost the Pole the world number two ranking as the defense of her French Open title looms.

Swiatek held a commanding 7-1 head-to-head record against Collins before the contest and yet another early defeat does not bode well for the 23-year-old, who has not won a tournament since her fourth triumph at Roland Garros last year.

"I played against Iga so many times ... When you play that many close matches and get this close and also play some of your best tennis and lose, I think you learn a lot," Collins, 31, said. "I feel like I applied that today, to the match."

Five-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek went 5-0 down in the opening set before getting on the board to avoid a bagel.

Collins was lethal from the baseline, mixing it up with forehand and backhand service return winners as she picked apart Swiatek's serve in an opening set that was one-way traffic.

The second was level at 4-4 as Swiatek showed flashes of brilliance, but 31-year-old 2022 Australian Open runner-up Collins showed no mercy, sealing victory in one hour and 44 minutes when a return went wide.

Collins fired 32 winners and converted six of eight break points while Swiatek, who had won the tournament three times in the last four years, made 22 unforced errors.

Swiatek has lost nine matches this year - as many as in all of 2024 - while she has not reached a claycourt final ahead of her bid to retain the French Open title later this month.



Sinner Thrashes Vukic to Roar into Wimbledon Third Round

A slow shutter speed picture of Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during the Men's 2nd round match against Aleksandar Vukic of Australia at the Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon, Britain, 03 July 2025. (EPA)
A slow shutter speed picture of Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during the Men's 2nd round match against Aleksandar Vukic of Australia at the Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon, Britain, 03 July 2025. (EPA)
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Sinner Thrashes Vukic to Roar into Wimbledon Third Round

A slow shutter speed picture of Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during the Men's 2nd round match against Aleksandar Vukic of Australia at the Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon, Britain, 03 July 2025. (EPA)
A slow shutter speed picture of Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during the Men's 2nd round match against Aleksandar Vukic of Australia at the Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon, Britain, 03 July 2025. (EPA)

World number one Jannik Sinner demolished Australia's Aleksandar Vukic 6-1 6-1 6-3 in a Centre Court masterclass to move ominously into the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday.

The Italian was streets ahead of the 93rd-ranked Vukic who barely laid a glove on the top seed in the opening two sets before saving some face with a bit of third-set resistance.

Sinner, bidding to win the title for the first time, never loosened his grip on a one-sided contest although he did need six match points to finish off Vukic in a prolonged final game, banging down his 12th ace.

The 23-year-old has yet to drop serve and has conceded only 12 games in the six sets he has played so far and will now train his sights on unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez.