US Open: Iga Swiatek reaches 3rd round to extend major streak

When it comes to Iga Swiatek reaching the third round of a major, you may as well put it in ink.

Swiatek, the No. 2 seed from Poland, struggled Thursday but got past world No. 66 Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to again reach the third round of the US Open, which she has done at Flushing Meadows -- and every other major -- since the start of 2020.

She's the only player on the men's or women's tour to accomplish that in that time frame.

The last time she failed to reach the third round in a Grand Slam event was the 2019 US Open, when she lost in the second round to Anastasija Sevastova. Over the past 30 years, the only women with a longer streak of third-round appearances at a major are Serena Williams (45 straight, 1998-2012) and Amelie Mauresmo (24 straight, 2001-08).

Swiatek made quick work of the first set, hitting nine winners and two aces. She stumbled, however, in the second with 12 unforced errors and two double faults against Lamens, who was facing a WTA top-5 player for the first time in her career.

In the final set, Swiatek broke Lamens en route to a 3-1 lead. Lamens, however, fought back, pulling to 5-4 before Swiatek sealed the match with a clinching ace.

Following her semifinal loss at the French Open earlier this year, Swiatek has since won 19 of her last 21 matches. That streak includes her first grass-court final at Bad Homburg, winning her sixth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and then rolling to the title in Cincinnati without dropping a set.

In other early women's singles action Thursday, No. 13 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, No. 18 Beatriz Haddad Maia and No. 23 Naomi Osaka all won in straight sets.

ESPN Research contributed to this report.