Iga Swiatek survived a seismic test from Suzan Lamens in order to prevail in her US Open second round clash.
The former champion was expected to cruise through but instead had to settle for a 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory over the Dutchwoman.
It was a tough day at the office but Swiatek used her champion’s qualities to reach the third round in New York.
Next up for Swiatek will be 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya.
It was a crushing opening set from Swiatek who dominated the rallies and took advantage of Lamens’ early nerves.
The Pole broke twice and rapidly took a 5-1 lead before comfortably holding serve to close out the set 6-1.
It was looking like Swiatek was going to cruise her way through the match when she broke in the third game.
However, Lamens had other ideas as she turned up the aggression to break to love in the very next game.
Then when Swiatek broke for a 4-3 lead, Lamens red-lined her game even more producing some stunning patterns of play.
The Wimbledon champion looked strangely in efficient as the world number 66 won the last four games to take the second set 6-4.
In the third set Swiatek went back to her dominant self and was crushing the ball on the forehand to gain a 4-1 lead.
A late comeback from Lamens threatened to derail the Swiatek charge as the Dutchwoman got one of the breaks back in the sixth game.
However, Swiatek held on to survive a big scare and reach the third round in New York.
Speaking after the match Swiatek insisted that it was her mistakes that allowed Lamens back into the contest, “I felt like it depended on me and whether I was going to make mistakes or not,” Swiatek was quoted by the BBC Sport website as saying in her on-court interview.
“Sometimes I did, I probably got a little tight in the second set and she, for sure, used the opportunity and was using her chances. It was not easy, but the third set is a reset. You’ve got to start from the beginning and I knew I could play a little more precisely, so I just tried to do that.
“I served better [in the third set] than in the previous sets. I wanted to be pretty confident with my serve and go for it. I’m happy that I closed it pretty fast, even though I lost one break. It wasn’t an easy match and I made some mistakes. I’m happy that at the end I could be more proactive.”
Swiatek will now play Anna Kalinskaya on Saturday after the 29th seed defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-1 7-5.
The head-to-head is tied at 1-1 heading into the third round showdown.
