Stuttgart, April 19 (IANS): Iga Swiatek began her clay-court 2024 season with a win as she defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of Stuttgart Open.

World No.1 Swiatek, playing her first match on the dirt since she won last year's Roland Garros title, needed 1 hour and 33 minutes to hold off 30th-ranked Mertens and claim a spot in the Stuttgart quarterfinals for the third straight year, WTA reports.

Two-time defending champion Swiatek remains undefeated at the Tennis Grand Prix, improving to 9-0 at the event with her latest win over Mertens of Belgium.

Swiatek will next face 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the quarterfinals. The Briton defeated Linda Noskova 6-0, 7-5 to move into the last eight.

The showdown between the Grand Slam champions will be a rematch of their 2022 Stuttgart quarterfinal, which Swiatek won 6-4, 6-4.

Four-time major champion Swiatek also defeated Raducanu 6-3, 6-1 at Indian Wells last year to take a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head.