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World No.1 Iga Swiatek eased into the Round of 16 at the ongoing Italian Open 2023 after overpowering Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-0 in the third round on Sunday.
Swiatek soon put an end to any chances of an upset by Tsurenko, who was facing her for the second time in their careers. Tsurenko, who had previously defeated Elina Svitolina and Bernarda Pera to reach the third round in Rome, broke Swiatek's serve promptly and led 2-0. The two-time defending champion will lock horns with either No.16 Liudmila Samsonova or No.21 Donna Vekic next. Swiatek has won two games in a row in each of her bouts this week in Rome. Swiatek trailed Tsurenko 2-0 in the first set before winning the next five games. Elsewhere, No.27 seed Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic notched an upset in a rain-postponed match at the Italian Open on Sunday, ousting No.6 seed Coco Gauff of the United States 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the Round of 16. Bouzkova grabbed her third career Top 5 victory with the two hour and 8-minute victory over World No.5 Gauff. Bouzkova advanced to Monday's Round of 16, where she will meet No.11 seed Veronika Kudermetova for the first time this season. "Even after the first set, I just kept on fighting, and I kind of knew that I had to elevate my game to get the win today, and at least stay in the match. I think I did that pretty well, and then my service games started to work, and I just started to feel really comfortable on the court," WTA.com quoted Bouzkova as saying afterwards. "I love to play here. I think in Europe, it might be my favorite tournament. I didn't play here last year, so I was really looking forward to playing here. I like the conditions and I like the crowd here, it gives me so much energy," she added. The other third-round match in the bottom half, which had been postponed from Saturday night, did not begin on Sunday. After No.14 seed Victoria Azarenka withdrew from their match due to a right leg injury, No.19 seed Madison Keys qualified to the Round of 16 through a walkover. (ANI)
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