Iga Swiatek survived a scare to start her Wimbledon title defence with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 win over American world number 79 Taylor Townsend on Tuesday. Swiatek suffered a second-set wobble that left her in danger of becoming only the third reigning female Wimbledon champion to lose in the first round in the Open era. But world number three Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, steadied her nerves in the deciding set, surviving a 21-minute first game before securing the breaks of serve that edged her into the second round.