Iga Swiatek held off a spirited challenge from Qinwen Zheng in the second round of the Stuttgart Open in Germany on Thursday afternoon.
The 21-year-old, ranked No. 1 in the world after landing the French Open and US Open last year, is just a year older than Zheng but demonstrated her superior experience.
Ad In February, Swiatek successfully defended her Qatar Open title, but missed the chance to retain her Miami Open trophy through injury ahead of her appearance in Stuttgart.
WTA Stuttgart'The only one I haven't beaten' — Gauff says Swiatek is toughest player on tour9 HOURS AGO Zheng had defeated Alycia Parks in her first-round match, and as the WTA Newcomer of the Year last year she would have had high hopes of making an impression in 2023, but was unable to resist the Pole in Germany.