Italian Open 2022 score, winner and recap: Defending champion Iga Swiatek knocks out Elena-Gabriela Ruse, stretches win streak to 24

Iga Swiatek stayed on course for her bid to retain her title with a thumping win over lucky loser Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her opening match at the Italian Open. She extended her winning-streak to 24 matches and faces Victoria Azarenka next.

Iga Swiatek vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse score

Riding a 23-game win streak, Swiatek bested Ruse, 6-3, 6-0, in just 68 minutes to advance to the third round of the Italian Open.

She scored a repeat of her 2018 Montreux quarterfinal victory over Ruse to improve to 2-0 against the Romanian.

Iga Swiatek vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse winner

Swiatek's current 24-match win streak is the second longest since 2015, when Serena Williams registered 27 straight wins

The Pole, who withdrew from last week's Madrid Open due to a shoulder injury, improved to 33-3 this season.

Iga Swiatek vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse recap

Swiatek coasted to a double-break lead at 4-1 and looked poised to take the opener with ease but wobbled in her next service game. Ruse broke Swiatek in the sixth game, but the Pole quickly regained her advantage after the Romanian served up a costly double fault.

Serving for the set, the World No. 1 sent her backhand long to gift Ruse a break point, which she converted as Swiatek double-faulted.

Swiatek raced to a 40-0 lead in the World No. 57's next service game but nearly squandered her chances as she erred twice on her forehand. She made up for it, however, with a forehand winner to close out the set 6-3.

The 2020 Roland Garros champ was untroubled in the second set as she wiped the floor with her opponent in 25 minutes, with the score reading 6-0.

Swiatek broke Ruse at her first opportunity in the second set to go up, 2-0. She went on to break the Romanian two more times to comfortably win the set and match.

The 20-year-old coughed up three double faults but made up for it with 15 winners as she outgunned her opponent, who only managed three. She converted seven of the 12 break points she posted against Ruse and lost her serve twice.