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Iga Swiatek turned a losing second set on it’s head Saturday, rallying from 1-4 down to overhaul Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Rome Masters.
The world number one stayed concentrated as her 41st-ranked Kazakh opponent melted down in 27 Celsius conditions at the Foro italico as spring finally arrived in the capital.
Putintseva threatened to make a match of it with a 4-1 lead after losing the second set.
But her experienced opponent saved four break points in a monster sixth game to climb to 4-2.
From then on, four-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek – ending her 102nd week atop the rankings – turned up the heat to sweep the remaining game, advancing on her first match point on a Putintseva error.
“I wanted to keep my focus,” Swiatek said of the comeback effort. “I wanted to be solid.
“I knew I had to work for points and I was able to change the rhythm,” the Pole said after winning her 32nd match of the season.
“I’m just focusing on every match, taking nothing for granted,” the winner said. “I just want to play my best tennis possible each day.”
Swiatek won her 20th career title last week in Madrid and is seeking to duplicate the Madrid-Rome double achieved by Serena Williams in 2013.
Main photo:- Iga Swiatek in Rome by WTATennis.com
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