Iga Swiatek improved her incredible record at the French Open with a quarter-final victory against Elina Svitolina at Roland Garros.
The five-time Grand Slam champion, who is aiming to win a record fourth consecutive French Open crown, downed 14th-ranked Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Swiatek was made to work hard by the 30-year-old Ukrainian in the opening set despite the scoreline, while she battled back from a 3-1 deficit in the second.
The world No 5 said: “I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set because Elina is this kind of player that plays better under pressure. When she loses, she kind of steps up always.
“So I needed to be ready for that and I’m happy that, immediately after I saw that my intensity went low, I just got it high again and I wanted to be proactive and leading the game. And I’m happy that I did that until the end of the set.”
Asked to explain the three aces she hit in the final game, Swiatek said: “I can’t (laughs). Honestly, you could see that the serve was kind of weird, also because of the wind. We both wanted to figure out how to do that, but at the end of the set, I felt like the wind went down a little bit, so I knew I can go for it.
“Also, I had new balls, so I just went all in. I think I hit three lines, so pretty proud of that. It doesn’t happen often, so it’s nice to win some points for free.”
Swiatek’s victory over Svitolina was her 26th consecutive win at the Paris Grand Slam, which sees her move above Monica Seles into second place for the longest women’s winning streaks at the event. Only Chris Evert (29) has won more successive French Open matches.
French Open News
Aryna Sabalenka extends stunning Grand Slam record with French Open quarter-final victory
The Pole has equalled Serena Williams for the longest winning streak at a women’s singles Grand Slam tournament this century. Williams won 26 US Open matches in a row between 2012 and 2015.
Across women’s and men’s tennis, Swiatek has become the joint-second fastest player to win 40 French Open matches, having matched Bjorn Borg by reaching the landmark in just 42 matches.
Rafael Nadal, a 14-time Roland Garros champion, holds the record, having won 40 of his first 41 matches at the clay-court major.
Swiatek is the fastest woman to 40 French Open wins, with Chris Evert and Monica Seles tied in second (43 matches).
The three-time reigning champion will face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster semi-final.
“Yeah, these Madrid finals [in 2023 and 2024 against Sabalenka] were probably one of the best, most exciting finals that I played,” Swiatek said.
“Aryna is always a challenge, she has a game for every surface. So, I need to just focus on myself, do the work, be brave with my shots and just go for it. For sure, I’m gonna prepare tactically tomorrow.
“She’s been having great season, so I’m not gonna lie, for sure it’s gonna be a tough match, but I’m happy for a challenge.”
READ NEXT: The 8 women with the most French Open titles: Chris Evert with 7, Iga Swiatek joint-third
The post Iga Swiatek’s stunning French Open milestones as she extends immense streak appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply