Amid weather turmoil, Swiatek survives Osaka onslaught

PARIS — Defending champion Iga Swiatek escaped from a match point down against Naomi Osaka to reach the French Open third round on Wednesday, while Carlos Alcaraz overcame a scare of his own, as persistent rain caused widespread disruption to the tournament.

Swiatek outlasted fellow four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 in a breathtaking second-round clash, livening a gloomy day, in which 23 singles matches were postponed until Thursday.

World No 1 Swiatek won the last five games of the match to keep her bid for a third successive Roland Garros title on track. Justine Henin was the last woman to achieve the feat from 2005-07.