Iga Swiatek can think of few things better than sinking a spoon into her favourite tiramisu to ring in her 23rd birthday.
So as not to disrupt her Roland-Garros routine, however, a straightforward 6-4, 6-2 victory over Marie Bouzkova was not a bad alternative to help keep celebrations ticking along nicely on Friday.
On the back of an emotionally charged comeback over four-time major winner Naomi Osaka in the previous round, a relatively stress-free outing on Court Philippe-Chatrier against the Czech came as a welcome contrast on Friday.
Swiatek had the challenge of hitting reset on her emotions and recovering in time physically to do it all again on Friday after that three-hour thriller against Osaka. It was a showdown that left both players in tears, such was the release of so much pent up tension.
Swiatek dispelled any concerns of a letdown in her match against world No.42 Bouzkova, a player she had never faced.
Swiatek saved a match point at 3-5 down in the third set against Osaka and that could spark genuine cause for alarm among other title pretenders. Emboldened by the great escape, she shaped as an even more dangerous prospect as she took another step closer to a fourth Roland-Garros crown.
Swiatek has now won 31 of her 33 matches in Paris. Only seven-time champion Chris Evert and four-time champion Monica Seles have reached 30 match wins with fewer defeats (one).
After the intensity of her second-round scrap, Swiatek was not sweating over a disrupted night’s rest before her third-round encounter.
