Iga Swiatek found herself very close to being drawn into a three-setter with Caroline Garcia but managed to save a set point late in the second set and complete a 6-2 7-5 win in the Miami Open second round.
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The Pole, who demolished the Frenchwoman 6-2 6-0 in Indian Wells just two weeks earlier, also made a dominant start to their Miami meeting after collecting back-to-back breaks and opening a 4-0 lead before serving out for the opener in the eighth game. In the first set, the second seed served exceptionally as she hit four aces and lost a total of three points in her service games.
After easily sealing the first set, Swiatek also earned a break in the first game of the second set. At that point, it seemed that the five-time Grand Slam champion would book another very dominant win against Garcia. But then, the 23-year-old's intensity on her serve dropped and she suffered back-to-back breaks and found herself trailing 3-1 - luckily she got the break back instantly in the fifth game.
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While the 74th-ranked Frenchwoman blew her second-set break, she still came close to winning the second set after clinching a set point on Swiatek's serve in the 10th game. However, the former world No. 1 saved that set point - registered the key break in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead - before closing out the match in the following game.
Who is Swiatek's next rival in Miami?
For a place in the Miami round-of-16, the Polish tennis star will face the winner of the match between No. 27 seed Elise Mertens and Peyton Stearns.
In Miami, the 23-year-old is seeking to win her first title since last year's French Open and avoid entering the clay season without winning a title in nearly a full year.
Swiatek knows how it feels to make it all the way in Miami as she won the title at the tournament in 2022 after beating Maria Sakkari in the final.
