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Having been forced to retire from her third-round match-up with Ann Li at the Madrid Open owing to illness, Swiatek had to hold off a stirring fightback from McNally to reach tound three in Rome.

The clay-court specialist was rocked in the first game of the match as McNally took a surprise break, but that was the only game the American would win in the opening set.

The second was a different story, though, as swirling wind affected play and McNally produced some spirited defensive work, with errors creeping into Swiatek's game after she broke to love in game three.

McNally pieced together two spirited holds – one after two deuces and the other to love – to stay in the contest, and Swiatek missed two opportunities to serve it out, either side of earning another break, as a tie-break was required.

More unforced errors from Swiatek allowed McNally to win the tie-break, and there was more drama to come in the decider as the players traded breaks midway through.

A hard-earned break in game eight gave Swiatek a third chance to serve it out, and this time, she would not be denied as McNally's backhand drifted wide at the end of a back-and-forth rally.

Elsewhere, No.10 seed Victoria Mboko was forced to withdraw from her meeting with Tyra Caterina Grant because of illness, with Nikola Bartunkova taking her place.