Iga Swiatek scored her 30th consecutive match win on Thursday at Roland Garros, completing her passage into the third round with the loss of just four total games in her two victories. Her dominance is making headlines as she continues to draw rave reviews from her peers on the ATP Tour.

“She’s winning very easy. That’s special and very difficult,” Rafael Nadal said in his pre-tournament presser. “I saw her play a couple of matches and seems like today she’s over the rest. That’s what the results say, because when somebody like her is winning the tournaments and is winning with these results, I mean, it’s something special, no?

“Happy for her. She’s fresh. She’s natural. She’s young.”

Wholesome content alert 🥰@RafaelNadal x @iga_swiatek #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/J1MMyKXxOB

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 19, 2022

Swiatek first broke through at the Grand Slam level when she stormed to the 2020 Roland Garros title without dropping more than five games in a single match. This season, she claimed the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in April and has won five WTA Tour titles on the season, proving herself a class apart from her competitors.

“It was a big surprise probably the first time, that couple of years ago when she won here,” Nadal reflected, “but the way that she’s playing this year looks unstoppable. But let’s let her play with calm and without an extra pressure, because probably for her, after the last results, [it] will be an important one here.”

Nadal offered similar praise in Rome: “She’s doing amazing things, no? Playing amazing and winning every single event she played, the last four in a row. Winning Indian Wells and Miami in a row, something difficult.”

Swiatek’s win streak now spans five events: Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Rome.

“Just happy for her,” Nadal added. “She’s very spontaneous and natural girl. Is good to have girls like this, good people like her having success.”

The Spaniard is far from the first ATP Tour star to sing the praises of Swiatek. Her countryman Hubert Hurkacz has called her a “huge inspiration,” while Andy Murray and Andy Roddick shared their admiration on Twitter during her run to the 2021 Roland Garros quarter-finals.

“Oh, my God. I would love to play mixed doubles with Rafa,” she beamed. “I think it would be really great experience. But when was the last time he played mixed doubles? I want him to be focused on singles.”

Paris-born American Maxime Cressy has picked up his first two tour-level doubles wins this week at Roland Garros alongside Spanish veteran Felciano Lopez, who eclipsed the 250-wins mark in doubles earlier this season. 

The first-time pairing improved to 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over 15th seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Marcelo Melo on Thursday in Paris. The American-Spanish duo dominated late in both sets, winning the final four games of the opener and the last two games of set two. On both occasions, they sealed the set with a break of serve.

Cressy/Lopez won 78 per cent (28/36) of their first-serve points and saved one of two break points against them in the match, holding in nine of their 10 service games, including their last eight. They await the winner of Friday’s second round matchup that pits top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury against Miomir Kecmanovic and Nicholas Monroe.

Also advancing to the last 16 on Thursday were second-seeded Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2 winners against Robin Haase and Raven Klaasen. After back-to-back defeats in Munich and Madrid, last year’s No. 1 team has won 11 consecutive matches, including title runs in Rome and Geneva.

Sixth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski were more clinical in a 6-3, 6-2 win over Hunter Reese and Ramkumar Ramanathan.

Gilles Simon survived a five-set thriller to extend his Roland Garros farewell in the opening round. After going the distance to upset Pablo Carreno Busta, he had an easier time of it on Thursday against American Steve Johnson.

The 37-year-old French wild card made the most of the Court Philippe Chatrier stage to earn his 500th match win with a 7-5, 6-1, 7-6(6) result, advancing to the third round in Paris for the first time since 2018. Just as in his Tuesday victory, he rode a wave of crowd support to get over the line, leaving the fans on the stadium court singing “Seven Nation Army” after he secured victory on his second match point.

Gilles Simon prolonge le plaisir !
Il s’impose 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (6) face à SteveJohnson et file vers le 3e tour ! #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/sPAfy3DV4n

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2022

The topsy-turvy contest included 11 breaks of serve, with Simon breaking seven times on 17 chances. The home favourite fell a double break behind at 0-3 in the opening set only to win four straight games to establish himself in the contest. 

From 5-all in the first set, he won seven straight games to take command of the match. But there were more twists in the third set, as Simon twice let a break advantage slip, including when he served for the match at 5-4. After playing for nearly four hours in the opening round, Simon avoided another marathon match by claiming a tight tie-break in which just three points went against serve.

Simon advances to face 20th seed Marin Cilic after the Croatian defeated Marton Fucsovics, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3, earlier on Thursday. With one more victory, Simon will match his best run at his home Grand Slam by reaching the last 16 for what would be the fourth time (2011, 2013, 2015).

Casper Ruud equalled his best result at Roland Garros Thursday, moving past Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the third round for the fourth consecutive year.

The Norwegian, who defeated the retiring Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his opening match, looked comfortable throughout against Ruusuvuori and raised his level when required, saving all four break points he faced to advance after two hours and 10 minutes.

“It was [a] high-quality match from the first to the last point,” Ruud said in his post-match press conference. “I think we both played better than what we did in Barcelona. The level was a little bit higher. Emil is playing much better on clay. He’s moving better and playing well from the baseline.

“It was definitely a challenge. Even though it was three straight sets, there were some tough moments in the match, and some chances I didn’t get, but some chances I got. All in all, I’m very happy with the performance.”

The 23-year-old arrived in Paris in a confident mood after he captured his eighth tour-level title and seventh on clay in Geneva last week. Having made the short journey across from Switzerland, Ruud has quickly adjusted to the colder conditions at Roland Garros and has now won his past six matches.

The eighth seed will aim to advance to the fourth round for the first time in the French capital when he takes on Portugal’s Joao Sousa, whom Ruud defeated in the final in Geneva, or 32nd seed Lorenzo Sonego.

In front of a full crowd on Court 14, Ruud dictated the tempo throughout, with his consistent and deep groundstrokes pinning Ruusuvuori behind the baseline. The Norwegian struck 41 winners and committed 28 unforced errors as he pulled his 23-year-old opponent around to improve to 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Ruusuvuori was competing in the second round in Paris for the first time, having edged Frenchman Ugo Humbert in five sets. He lost in the first round in 2020 and 2021.

In other early action, #NextGenATP Holger Rune built on his standout win over 14th seed Denis Shapovalov by dispatching Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 51 minutes.

The Dane, currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, is making his debut in Paris. The 19-year-old has enjoyed a strong season, clinching his maiden ATP Tour title in Munich before he reached the semi-finals in Lyon last week.

_{^{Photo Credit: CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images}}

Rune, who won 86 per cent (42/49) of his first-serve points against Laaksonen, now holds a 12-3 record on the season on the European clay. He will play Frenchman Hugo Gaston or Argentine lucky loser Pedro Cachin in the third round.

Rune has already jumped nine places this week to No. 31 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he continues his quest to crack the Top 30 for the first time.