In a rematch of last year’s final, defending champion and World No.1 Iga Swiatek defeated No.6 seed Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 in their quarterfinal clash and returned to the Roland Garros semifinals.
Top-seeded Swiatek, the French Open champion in 2020 as well as last year, improved her head-to-head against Gauff to 7-0 (14-0 in sets) with her 1-hour and 28-minute victory on Court Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday.
Poland’s Swiatek has now won her last 12 matches on the clay courts of Paris. Her career win-loss record at Roland Garros improved to 26-2 with her latest win over American teenager Gauff.
"I'm pretty happy to be in the semifinal again of Roland Garros," Swiatek said in her post-match press conference. "It's a great achievement no matter how the tournament is going to finish. ... I'm really happy I can show consistency and just play good here every year."
In the semifinals, Swiatek will face No.14 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who overcame No.7 seed Ons Jabeur earlier on Wednesday. Haddad Maia upset Swiatek in their only previous match, on the hard courts of Toronto last summer.
"For sure, [Haddad Maia is a] fighter, and she showed even today that she's fighting until the last ball, it pays off," Swiatek said. "You have to kind of be ready even when you feel like you're leading or whatever. You have to play every point 100 percent."
Holding on for now: Swiatek still has a chance to keep the World No.1 ranking coming out of Paris, despite defending 2000 ranking points and No.2 Aryna Sabalenka hot on her heels.
Since Sabalenka has reached the semifinals, Swiatek needs to beat Haddad Maia and reach the final to have a chance of staying at No.1. If Sabalenka reaches the final, Swiatek could hold on to No.1 only by winning the title.
By the numbers: With another victory on the terre battue in Paris, Swiatek becomes the first woman to win 12 consecutive main-draw matches at Roland Garros since Serena Williams won 13 straight between 2015 and 2016.
Swiatek, 22, is the fourth-youngest woman in the Open Era (since 1968) to win 12 or more main-draw matches in a row at Roland Garros. Only Monica Seles, Stefanie Graf and Chris Evert pulled off that feat at a younger age.
Swiatek is also the first woman to make three French Open semifinals in her first five main-draw appearances at the tournament since Martina Hingis between 1995 and 1999.
Key moments: Gauff, still seeking her first set against Swiatek, stayed close to the No.1 seed throughout most of the opening frame, battling back from a break down to 4-4. But Swiatek turned up the heat right at the end of the opener, breaking Gauff at love with a rally forehand winner.
"It was more tight in the first set, so I'm pretty happy in those important moments I was the one that was solid and could put a little more pressure on Coco," Swiatek said.
In the second set, Swiatek prevented Gauff from taking an early lead by fending off three break points during a gritty hold for 2-1. Swiatek cracked the set open when a deft lob gave her a break for 4-2, and the Pole held on from there to claim another triumph over Gauff.
Swiatek won 75 percent of her second-service points in the match, while Gauff won slightly less than half of the points behind her own second delivery. Each player had five break points, but Swiatek converted four of hers while Gauff only broke serve once.
And to think I was more worried about Ons Jabeur. Guess I should have been more worried about the woman who beat her on the hardcourts of Toronto last year.
I still believe that Iga on clay will be a whole different proposition for Haddad Maia and she won't let herself be bossed around or give her too many chances.
Many are saying that the time on court won't make a difference since Bia managed to beat Jabeur easily after an almost 4 hour marathon a few days prior (the longest match on tour this year), but I disagree.
I think the fact that Bia has spent over 12 hours and court and Iga about 5 and a half might play a huge factor especially if Iga is able to make it physical.
I also think nerves will play a big part tomorrow with Haddad Maia.
This will be her first major semi final and Iga has been there and done that so she'll know how to handle it better and just take her opportunities when they come.
I would like to say I'll be happy with just a semi final result after all it'd still be amazing, but I'd be lying. Now that we're so close I want Iga to go all the way. I will be cheering my hardest tomorrow.
Jazda!
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