Defending champion Iga Swiatek dominates in rampant win over home favourite as Diana Shnaider and Peyton Stearns also excel

Iga Swiatek has continued her quest for yet another title at the Rome Open with the three-time champion easing through against Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-0.

It has been a tough time for Swiatek who was well beaten by Coco Gauff last week in Madrid and has not looked herself after being such a dominant force on the surface for so long.

But while that perhaps can still be called into question, she usually gets through the opening few rounds with a great modicum of ease. She now faces the winner of Danielle Collins or Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

There is no love lost especially on the Collins side towards Swiatek nearly one year on from their Olympic Games incident so would certainly be one to watch if it does take place. But for Swiatek it is job done against a player she was expected to see off. Likely a meeting with Elina Svitolina is pencilled in for the latter stages.

She opens up against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro today. While Hailey Baptiste and Liudmila Samsonova await the winner in that part of the draw. Elsewhere Peyton Stearns swept aside Anna Kalinskaya 6-2, 6-3 to continue her exceptional form.

Jelena Ostapenko also came from a set down to see off Rebecca Sramkova 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. But perhaps the best win also alongside Iga Swiatek came today from Diana Shnaider who posed the World No.2 all sorts of problems in Madrid.

She sealed an exceptional 6-0, 6-0 win over Caroline Dolehide. A player who has struggled at times this season with her form, Shnaider was one of the best players on tour over the past year but fell back down to earth when it perhaps didn't go as expected.

But with Dinara Safina in her corner, she has excelled at times and did so again in sweeping aside the American for yet another bagel win. She now faces Jaqueline Cristian. Ostapenko or Karolina Muchova the likely seed for her.

Match Statistics Cocciaretto vs. Swiatek