Iga Swiatek, the Paris love affair part 4

 

Iga Swiatek makes third straight final at Roland Garros

 

World No.1 Iga Swiatek stands a win away from her fourth Roland Garros title after a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No.3 seed Coco Gauff in Thursday's semifinals.

Under bright skies on Court Philippe Chatrier, Poland's Swiatek took 1 hour and 37 minutes to get past American Gauff for the 11th time in their 12 career meetings.

"I think most of the things overall in my game worked today, so I'm proud of myself," Swiatek said after her latest win.

To capture her fifth career Grand Slam title, Swiatek will have to beat first-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy on Saturday. No.12 seed Paolini ousted 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-1 in Thursday's second semifinal.

Swiatek has a 2-0 head-to-head lead over Paolini, winning their first meeting at an ITF Challenger event in Prague, on clay, 6-2, 6-1. Swiatek next beat Paolini 6-3, 6-0 in the first round of the 2022 US Open -- an event Swiatek went on to win, for her lone Grand Slam title outside of Paris to date.

Big streaks continue: The numbers continue to build for Swiatek. She is the third player since 2000 to make three consecutive French Open women's singles finals, joining Justine Henin (2005-2007) and Maria Sharapova (2012-2014).

Swiatek has won 20 straight matches at the tournament, making her only the fifth woman in the Open Era to win 20 consecutive matches at Roland Garros. She joins Chris Evert (29 straight, 1984-1991), Monica Seles (25, 1990-1996), Justine Henin (24, 2005-2010), and Stefanie Graf (20, 1987-1989).

The 23-year-old Swiatek is also the second-youngest player in the Open Era to make four French Open finals, older only than Stefanie Graf, who was 20 when she made her fourth Roland Garros final in 1990.

Swiatek is also in the midst of another lengthy clay-court winning streak, having now won 18 straight matches on the surface. This current run ties her longest winning streak on clay, which was 18 straight between Stuttgart and Warsaw in 2022.

"The surface makes my game better," Swiatek said. "My grip allows me to spin more. I can play more defense points because it's a bit slower, but on the other hand, I have also more time to attack sometimes. So I feel like I'm just using it well."

Tale of the tape: Gauff, who is projected to rise to a career-high World No.2 ranking in the PIF WTA Rankings on Monday, had never won a set off of Swiatek on clay. Indeed, Thursday's match started with an opening set where Swiatek never dropped serve.

However, Gauff had a chance to turn that stat around in the second set. Gauff broke for a 3-1 lead by dominating a rally, then finding the baseline with a fierce forehand.

However, Swiatek was not fazed and she immediately battled back, using powerful forehands of her own to scoop up four straight games and a 5-3 lead.

"I think I was pretty intense and putting pressure on Coco," Swiatek said. "Even though I got broken [at] the beginning of the second set, I knew that I can come back quickly, and I got my level of intensity a little bit higher to do that."

In the next game, Gauff stared down two match points on her own serve, but the American erased those chances, forcing Swiatek to serve out the match at 5-4. Swiatek was up to the challenge and converted her fourth match point after a Gauff forehand flew out of bounds.

Gauff had 27 winners to Swiatek's 10 in the showdown, but the American also had 39 unforced errors to just 14 from Swiatek. And behind their respective second serves, Swiatek was much more effective, winning 67 percent of those points, while Gauff won 32 percent.

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For the first time in history there will be 2 women with Polish roots at Roland Garros. 

I have been waiting for this day.

If Paolini plays like today with no nerves or fear she could make it an entertaining match. 

I think Iga will win in the end but I think it'll be an enjoyable one.

I said 2 weeks ago that nothing will beat the Nomi match in round 2. 

It'll remain as the best match of this year's tournament. 

But I'm still very much looking forward to this final.

Jazda Iga! go get #4 you absolute legend :)

34 - Iga Swiatek has become the player with the fewest matches played at Roland Garros in the Open Era to secure 34 main draw wins (36, level with Chris Evert). Start.

8 - Iga Swiatek has become the player with the joint-most top-10 wins in Women’s Singles Grand Slam events after their first 10 such meetings in the last 40 years (eight, level with Martina Navratilova). Fearless.

Iga Swiatek puts on anther dominant display to reach 3rd consecutive semis at Roland Garros

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek extended her unbeaten run at Roland Garros and against Marketa Vondrousova in Paris on Tuesday, as she rolled past the reigning Wimbledon champion 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

Swiatek will take a 19-match winning streak at Roland Garros into the semifinals against Coco Gauff as she looks to advance to the final for the fourth time in six appearances in Paris, and for the third year in a row.

But first, she extended her unbeaten record against Vondrousova to 4-0 with a dominant 62-minute performance in which she hit 25 winners, broke serve five times, and swatted away the only break point she faced. Swiatek has never lost a set against Vondrousova in their matches, and four of the eight have been either 6-0 or 6-1.

Afterwards, the Pole dubbed the match "probably, the best performance I have had here," -- heady words for a player who has lost just eight games since saving a match point in the third set of her second-round win over another Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka.

After dropping just 10 points in her 6-0, 6-0 fourth round against Anastasia Potapova, Swiatek extended her run of consecutive games won at Roland Garros to 20 before Vondrousova held in her first service game of the second set. Previously, the Czech had two game points in the fourth game of the opener -- a six-deuce affair in which Swiatek eventually broke for a second time on her fifth opportunity of the game.

Vondrousova's only opportunity to take a lead came at 1-1 in the second set. A forehand winner gave her a break point at 30-40 after she initially led 0-30, but Swiatek turned the chance aside with a pinpoint second-ball backhand winner.

"I'm happy that my game is getting better and better every day and I [felt] pretty confident today," Swiatek said.

"I try not to really focus on the scores," she continued. "Sometimes I even forget what the score is, honestly. Just, you know, focusing -- I mean, I'm keeping myself busy in terms of thinking about technique and tactics and what I would do with the next point. Because of that, I don't really get myself, allow myself to have time to drift off and think about other stuff.

"Obviously it's not easy, and it's not like I'm always able to do that, but usually when I don't think about the score, I can reset after each point and start the second point from the beginning with the clean sheet, it's the best kind of match for me."

Swiatek has won 10 of her 11 prior matches with Gauff, including all four they've played on clay. In two previous Roland Garros matches between the two -- in the 2022 final and the 2023 quarterfinals -- Swiatek has lost just 10 games.

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Not going to lie I really wanted Ons Jabeur to win because they haven't met in a few years and it would have made it interesting. The variety would have brought something new to the table.

As good as having rivalries is I'm a little bit tired of this particular one (at least on clay) if I'm honest. 

Obviously I never discount any of Iga's opponents, but just speaking from a viewer perspective it doesn't offer anything new. 

As for Iga's performance today, there's not much to say saving much point in round 2 against Osaka has really freed her up and now she's just playing with house money. 

And really enjoying herself which is good to see. 

4th semi at Roland Garros in the last 5 years. Dominance.

6-0 - Iga Swiatek is the first player to win the opening set with a 6-0 scoreline at the French Open in QF and onwards against a top-10 player since Serena Williams in 2013 vs Sara Errani. Pitiless.


3(1) - Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the second pair in the Open Era to face each other in 3+ consecutive years in the Women's Singles QF onwards at RG, after Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert (four, 1984-87). Thread.

3 - Iga Swiatek is the first player to win three consecutive sets with a 6-0 scoreline at the Roland Garros since ... Iga Swiatek in 2023 (vs Claire Liu and Xinyu Wang). Obsession.

Iga Swiatek dominates to reach 5th Roland Garros quarterfinal

 

PARIS -- Before Sunday, Anastasia Potapova and Iga Swiatek had never met in a WTA Tour-level match, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a history.

They’ve been going at it for more than a decade, all the way back to U12s. At the Nations Challenge in Ajaccio, France, Potapova was a winner in straight sets. A year later at the Junior Orange Bowl International, they played a two-and-one-half-hour U14 semifinal people still talk about.

Potapova was down a match point, but Swiatek made three consecutive errors -- the last a forehand just long -- and the Polish girl collapsed on the court, sobbing, while Potapova stood at the net waiting to shake hands. The final in Miami was 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(6).

According to Colette Lewis, a leading authority on junior tennis, Potapova was the “it girl” of that age group, the more celebrated and accomplished player. Her leading rival at the time was Olga Danilovic. Potapova was 55-5 in 2014 and the European Junior 14s champion. Swiatek was 41-9, but clearly a step below.

Their only junior match came here at Roland Garros in the 2016 quarterfinals. Potapova, two months older, was again a winner, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. A few weeks later, she achieved the No.1 junior ranking.

Fast forward to the present, where Potapova is, by any measure, a successful professional. She’s won two tournaments, in Istanbul and Linz, and is ranked No.41 among Hologic WTA Tour players.

Swiatek, of course, is now the No.1-ranked player and seemingly poised to win her third consecutive French Open title and fourth in five years. That tantalizing possibility exists because Swiatek was a remarkable 6-0, 6-0 winner on Court Philippe Chatrier.

On a cool, blustery day, Swiatek played with a clinical fury that suggested she might have remembered those defeats from the past. It was over in 40 minutes, the shortest tour-level match of Swiatek's career, and Swiatek won 48 of 58 points. She was not taken to deuce once.

In her post-match press conference, Swiatek was asked if those losses to Potapova were in the back of her mind. Her first response was no, but then she elaborated.

“Obviously, I had just a thought that times change a little bit because I remember she was always the player to beat me. I don’t think I won against her, and I lost some heartbreaking matches for me.

“Honestly, there’s no point to think about that, but I had just a thought like that. It lasted two seconds, and then I was focusing on my work because that’s the best thing I can do.”

The first set was astonishing, really. Only 19 minutes had passed when a downcast-looking Potapova committed a double fault. The respectable crowd on hand issued a collective sigh. Swiatek won 24 of 30 points, hit seven winners and was credited with only one unforced error.

The second set was about the same. Swiatek won 24 of 28 points.

Potapova won exactly three return points in the entire match. Toward the end, she was rolling her eyes and the support team in her box were shaking their heads.

What’s changed the most in the decade since Potapova held the upper hand?

“When I think about myself, I just know that my progress was kind of like that,” Swiatek said, tracing a steady, 45-degree trajectory with her hand. “It’s never kind of stopped, so I’m just proud of myself and the work that I’ve put to be in this place.

“Everything changed because I'm just older, and I play better.”

That 6-0, 6-0 scoreline sent the statisticians scurrying to the history books. Swiatek is now only the third player in the Open era to claim 6-0, 6-0 victories at Roland Garros in consecutive years, after Gabriela Sabatini (1992-93) and Mary Pierce (1993-94); last year, she inflicted the whitewash on Wang Xinyu in the third round. This was also her 26th 6-0 set on clay at tour level. In completed matches, only Serena Williams (35) has more.

The gaudy numbers don't stop there. Swiatek is the first woman to win 18 straight matches at a Grand Slam since Serena Williams won the 2014 US Open. Swiatek is now 32-2 in Paris, which works out to 94 percent. Only Margaret Court (95 percent) was better on these red-clay courts.

After taking the titles in Madrid and Rome, she’s won 16 straight matches. With three more, she’ll become the first since Serena Williams (2013) to sweep Madrid, Rome and Paris.

Swiatek will play No.5 seed Marketa Vondrousova in a Tuesday quarterfinal match after the Wimbledon champion came from 4-1 down in the first set to end the run of qualifier Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2.

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13.2 - Iga Swiatek has claimed 13.2% of her total sets played on clay at WTA level by a score of 6-0. Among players with 10+ 6-0 sets on the surface since 2000, is the highest rate of any player - completed matches. Dominant.

40 - Iga Swiatek has won the quickest completed main draw match at the Roland Garros since Opta started to collect this kind of data in 2015 (40 minutes). Hasten.

Iga Swiatek has now won a set 6-0 at a Grand Slam 23 times so far in her career. She's 23.

40(2) - Iga Swiatek has played the quickest match of her career - their three quickest have been on clay court @rolandgarros 2024 - 40 min v Potapova  Roland Garros 2019 - 45 min v Halep Rome 2021 - 46 min v Ka. Pliskova Sweeping.

Fastest career wins: 

40 min v. Potapova, RG 24 46 min v. Plíšková, Rome 21 49 min v. Juvan, USO 23 51 min v. Wang Xin., RG 23 51 min v. Jorović, USO 19 52 min v. Prisăcariu, BJKC 22 53 min v. Collins, Doha 23 53 min v. Wang Q., RG 19

10 - Iga Swiatek has become the player with the fewest points dropped (10) in completed WTA match since Ashleigh Barty in the First Round at the Australian Open 2021 vs Danka Kovinic (also 10). Ten?!

Well I got my wish Iga played with the roof open for the first time in the tournament, and boy did it make a difference!.

Seriously Iga seemed like a completely different player. And simply could do no wrong it was absolutely extraordinary.

Something that I'm sure made the rest of the tour stand up and take notice. 

Saving match point against Osaka give her another chance to do better and she's making the most of it.

Next up Vondrosousova who's variety could be tricky but if the weather holds up I think Iga will handle it fine. 

And it could be good practice if she ends up having to play Ons Jabeur in the semis. 

Iga Swiatek celebrates 23rd Birthday with another win at Roland Garros

Iga Swiatek's career record as a 23-year-old is 1-0. The World No. 1 and two-time defending Roland Garros champion celebrated her birthday Friday in Paris with a 6-4, 6-2 win over unseeded Czech Marie Bouzkova to safely seal a berth in the Round of 16 for the sixth year in a row.

After saving a match point to win what many pundits called the match of the tournament against Naomi Osaka in the second round, Swiatek found it much easier to control the outcome of points against World No.42 Bouzkova -- who had beaten No.29 seed Veronika Kudermetova in Paris' opening round but missed much of the clay-court season due to injury and played just two matches in the six weeks prior to Roland Garros.

In her first-ever meeting against Bouzkova, Swiatek broke serve four times, doubled Bouzkova's total of winners, and won seven of the last nine games in 1 hour and 33 minutes minutes on court in total.

Swiatek is assured of facing another unseeded player in the Round of 16, as she'll face either World No.41 Anastasia Potapova for a spot in the quarterfinals. Potapova came from 4-0 down in the first set of her 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4 win against China's Wang Xinyu, ranked No.37.

4: After saving a match point in beating Osaka in the last round, Swiatek needed four to finally finish off Bouzkova. She had one on the Czech's serve in the seventh game of the second set, and was pushed to deuce from 40-15 on her own serve before closing the match out.

10: Despite her prior inactivity, Swiatek had reason to be wary of Bouzkova entering the match, as she owns 10 career Top 10 wins.

16: Swiatek is now 16-4 in her career against players from the Czech Republic, and 3-1 this year. She also avoided the fate that befell her at 2024's first Grand Slam, which was a third-round loss to Bouzkova's compatriot Linda Noskova.

17: Swiatek's win extended her unbeaten streak in Paris, and her clay-court unbeaten streak this year, to 17 straight matches. She's lost just three sets in Paris in that time.

18: In her six career appearances at Roland Garros, Swiatek has never lost in the first three rounds. She's 18-0 in those matches, and has only lost one set. She's the only woman this century to achieve the feat.

32: In total, Swiatek hit 32 winners in victory to Bouzkova's 16.

2 - Iga Swiatek is the second player since the WTA Rankings were published in 1975 to win a match as World No. 1 at the Roland Garros the day of her birthday after Justine Henin in 2007 against Mara Santangelo. Birthday.

6/6 - Iga Swiatek is the only player this Century to make the Women's Singles Fourth Round at the Roland Garros at each of their first six main draw appearances. Fantastic.

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My one wish for Iga for her next round is to finally be able to play with the roof open. 

I think having the roof closed changes how the ball moves so I'm sure she'd appreciate feeling like she's playing an outdoor tournament again (having played 3 straight under the roof).

As for the match itself not much to say other than really solid and powerful shots and this time zero drama or stress. 

Joy to watch as always. 

Hope she got to spend the few hours left in her Birthday with her sister and Dad who arrived just for the occasion.

Happy 23rd Iga!. 

Here is to many more celebrations just like this at your favourite place in the world. :)

Iga Swiatek survives thriller with Naomi Osaka at Roland Garros

PARIS -- For nearly three hours, nothing separated two four-time Grand Slam singles champions under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier. Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka, a former World No.1, were even at 5-all in the third set.

Swiatek, who earlier saved a match point, ultimately prevailed 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 on Wednesday night.

Given that Osaka has always had a tenuous relationship with clay -- and the fact Swiatek is a three-time Roland Garros champion and the best active player on clay -- this was something few saw coming.

“It’s hard to have any logical thoughts,” Swiatek told reporters, “because for sure it was really intense and on a really high level. I was in huge trouble in the third set. I honestly didn’t believe that I could win -- that would be pretty naïve.

“But I managed somehow to win this match. I’m glad I didn’t give up.”

Only five months into her comeback following the birth of daughter Skai, Osaka pushed Swiatek to the absolute limit.

In a tense and thrilling match that had the look and feel of a championship final, Osaka was -- as hard as it was to believe -- suddenly vintage Osaka. Ranked No.134 in the world, she played like it was 2019.

Osaka said she cried when she got off the court, but 30 minutes later was decidedly upbeat and quite thoughtful in her responses to the media.

“Probably the most fun match that I have played [since her comeback] so far,” Osaka said. “It just felt really incredible, the atmosphere, and how fun I guess everyone in the crowd was having, too. It was definitely very memorable for me.

“I kind of realize I was watching Iga win this tournament last year, and I was pregnant. It was just my dream to be able to play her. When I kind of think of it like that, I think I’m doing pretty well.”

This was Swiatek’s 16th consecutive match-win at Roland Garros, the most since Justine Henin won 24 straight between 2005-10. This was also Swiatek’s 14th straight win this year.

Osaka actually won more points, had 17 more winners and more service breaks -- but Swiatek was better when it mattered. Match time: 2 hours, 57 minutes.

“That was much more intense for a second-round match than I expected,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview. “She played really, really great tennis. For sure, I’m happy that she’s back.”

Coming in, Swiatek was understandably deferential to Osaka.

“Nowadays in women's draw you can play Grand Slam champions early in the tournament,” Swiatek said. “It is pretty tricky because you know these players are really experienced. They also achieved many great things. So they have bigger kind of belief.”

She wasn’t kidding.

After splitting the first two sets, Osaka faced three break points in her opening service game -- and saved them all. She then broke Swiatek with a backhand crosscourt winner, which induced a primal scream. In Osaka’s second service game, she saved five more break points, before Swiatek’s forehand return found the net.

Now Osaka led 3-0 and served for the match at 5-3.

But at 30-all, she smashed a forehand into the net followed by a backhand that flew long. On Swiatek’s second break point, Osaka hit what looked like a makeable backhand just long.

And so the match was back on serve.

In the end, Osaka just couldn't close the deal. There were some tired-looking forehands and, with Osaka serving at 5-all, a double fault that gave Swiatek a pivotal 6-5 advantage.

Leading 30-15, Swiatek hit a screaming backhand crosscourt winner to go up 40-15. One more errant backhand from Osaka gave her the match.

“I’m also just trying not to be too hard on myself,” Osaka said. “I feel like I played her on her better surface. I’m a hard-court kid, so I would love to play her on my surface and see what happens.

“I also said in Australia that I’m kind of setting myself up for September anyway.”

That would be the US Open where she’s a two-time champion.

“Honestly, I just think about the journey that she had,” Swiatek said. “She’s a mother, and I guess, I have never been in that situation. It must be hard to combine these two things and come back after maternity leave.

“She played amazing today. I have big respect for her coming back. Her shots were really clean and really heavy. For sure, I think she improved her game. I’m happy that she’s back – but maybe we can play not three sets next time.”

Swiatek is tracking like Henin, which is a (very) good thing. Henin, who may have had the most breathtaking one-handed backhand in women’s tennis history, won three straight titles here from 2005-07 and four out of five.

With five more victories here, Swiatek can equal that feat. The only other player in the Open Era to three-peat was Monica Seles, in 1990-92, twice beating Steffi Graf in the final.

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May 4, 2024 - Iga Swiatek wins the match of the year from match point down 

May 29, 2024 - Iga Swiatek wins the match of the year from match point down

It's been several hours now and I'm still having trouble formulating the right words to describe what I have seen. 

I had hoped that this match would be competitive and live up to it's billing, and saying that it did would be the understatement of the year. 

It is fair to say that no one expected Naomi Osaka to play as well as she did on her least favourite surface. 

She has been making real strides on it this season for the fist time in her career, but what she showed today was leaps and bounds beyond just getting comfortable on the red stuff. 

It was almost a masterclass, it's no wonder Iga said maybe Naomi will become a clay specialist soon too in her post match interview. 

With the performance she give today it's hard to argue otherwise. She was at times out hitting Iga. 

Hitting incredibly deep shots that would land right on the base line pushing Iga back (something only Rybakina, Sabelenka or Ostapenko have managed to do on clay). 

For someone who's not a natural clay courter or slider on the surface, Naomi was moving  extraordinarily well. 

One of my fave things about Naomi is that she has always been a clean ball striker. Her shots are so fluid and hit with so much power yet they always land in court. Probably one of the things I missed most about her game. 

And she had that today in abundance. 

So much so that she almost knocked out the world number 1 from her favourite tournament on her most dominant surface in the 2nd round. 

I still have no idea how Iga came back not only from match point down but 5/2 down in  the final set. 

I thought that nothing would rival the final Iga played with Sabalenka in Madrid earlier this month (where she saved 3 match points) but we definitely have a new contender for match of the year. 

The final set was a combination of Osaka getting nervous and tight having not been in this situation for some time, and Iga refusing to budge and taking her opportunities when it counted the most. 

I think playing under the roof also contributed to Osaka striking the ball so well, a closed roof essentially made it an indoor tournament and the conditions really suited Naomi's game. 

Iga did play under the roof in her previous match so didn't have to adjust much. Naomi was just unplayable at times saving a lot of break points with great serving.

At 5/3 match point Osaka I was honestly making peace with the fact that Iga would suffer her earliest lost in a Grand Slam since before she was number one and before we even knew her name. 

And I thought if she has to lose at least she's losing to not only a great player who's simply playing lights out tennis, but a great person and a friend. 

Someone thanks to whom we are lucky enough to have Iga in this sport. 

Naomi convinced Iga to stick it out and keep going when she was considering quitting the sport and continuing with higher education instead. 

So as a fan of not just Iga but this sport in general I will always be eternally grateful to Naomi for that. 

This goes without saying, but Naomi Osaka 4 time Grand Slam champion is definitely back. With this level no one will want to face her on the American hardcourts later this season. 

Although Naomi herself is very much looking forward to facing off against Iga on her favourite surface next. 

And as much stress as I know it would undoubtedly cause me, I very much want to see that. 

Take a bow Naomi Osaka thank you for creating a match no tennis fan will soon forget. 

The only thing that would have made this match even better would have been a full center court. 

Which unfortunately was sadly lacking.

As for Iga, thank you for being a fighter till the very end. 

For continuing to give your fans thrilling matches that invoke a kaleidoscope of emotions. 

For showcasing women's tennis in the best possible way. 

And  sharing your incredible talent, athleticism,  and exceptional mental resilience.

The saying champions find a way has never rang more true then today. 

We live to play another day.

Jazda! 

More Incredible stats:

All Iga's tour MP save wins: 1 v.  Osaka | RG 24 7-6 1-6 3-5 40-A* > 7-6 1-6 7-5 3 v.  Sabalenka | Madrid 24 7-5 4-6 5-6 *30-40 *40-A, *6-7 > 7-5 4-6 7-6

22,363 - At 22 years and 363 days, Iga Swiatek is the third youngest women's player after Monica Seles and Steffi Graf to win 16 consecutive matches at the French Open during the Open Era. Clan.

For the first time in her career, Iga Świątek wins a match where faced match points on return, and/or where her rival served for the match.

Iga Swiatek is 68-1 in completed clay court WTA main draw matches after winning the opening set - she only lost to Karolina Muchova in Prague 2019 (4-6 6-1 6-4). Possibility.

Iga Swiatek continues clay run at Roland Garros

 

Iga's new outfit it's growing on me but I miss the pink cap

PARIS -- It was the last point of the second set’s third game when Iga Swiatek unleashed a stinging forehand -- literally. The ball caught qualifier Leolia Jeanjean just inside the left thigh.

It wasn’t a malicious stroke -- Jeanjean actually ran into the ball -- but playing against the World No.1 brings more than the usual challenges. There was already a red mark when she exchanged a smile and a few light-hearted words with Swiatek on the sideline.

Monday’s first-round result, a 6-1, 6-2 Swiatek win, was hardly a surprise. She’s the first woman to win 15 consecutive matches at the French Open since Justine Henin, who took 24 consecutive matches between 2005-10.

Swiatek hit 26 winners (against 18 unforced errors) in a match that clocked in at a little over an hour. Swiatek broke Jeanjean five times.

That set up a second-round treat here at Roland Garros. There are two four-time Grand Slam singles champions in the field -- and they meet Wednesday. Among active players, Swiatek (70-16, .814) and Naomi Osaka (58-9, .753) have the best winning percentage in women’s Grand Slam singles matches.

“Really impressed,” Swiatek said of Osaka’s comeback. “She’s a great person, and her game style is pretty fun to watch as well. I’m just glad that she came back and she’s playing more tournaments even than before the break. I haven’t actually played against Naomi obviously on clay, so we’ll see how that’s going to go."

To be fair, they’re coming at this widely anticipated match from vastly different directions. Swiatek has been the World No.1 since winning the WTA Finals last November in Cancun. She’s coming off back-to-back victories at the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome and, riding a streak of 13 straight clay wins, is the favorite to win her third straight title at Roland Garros.

Osaka, meanwhile, is five months into her comeback after giving birth to daughter Shai and is ranked No.134. She’s had increasingly good results on European red clay. After losing her first match in Rouen, Osaka split two matches in Madrid before winning three straight in Rome. A straight-sets win over No.11-ranked Daria Kasatkina, a finalist in Charleston, was an eye-opener.

One of Osaka’s rituals is avoiding a look at the tournament draw; she prefers to focus solely on the next match. Initially, Osaka didn’t know she was in line to face Swiatek, but eventually figured it out.

“I was, like, `Why does everyone keep asking me about this draw?’ ” Osaka told reporters after winning her first-round match over Lucia Bronzetti. “Then I knew that I was in the top half, so I was, like, jokingly, `Well, it’s not like I’m playing Iga.’ Then everyone got quiet. So I was like, `Oh.’”

Osaka defeated Swiatek nearly five years ago in Toronto -- when she was only 18 -- but Swiatek won their most recent match, two years ago in the Miami final. Those were both on hard courts, the surface that produced Osaka’s four majors titles, but clay has not always been her friend. After defeating Lucia Bronzetti in the first round (it went three sets), Osaka has won five clay matches in a season for the first time in five years, when she was the No.1-ranked player.

The match against Swiatek should tell us just how far away she is from that level. Osaka, who is currently ranked No.134, was asked if she was going into the match not expecting too much.

“In a weird way, I definitely do feel like it’s a test to see where I’m at,” Osaka said. “but I wouldn’t say I have low expectations of myself. I’m a person that kind of thinks that I can win every match that I play. That’s kind of gotten me this far.

“I would never play a match thinking lowly of myself, no.”

In her 15 months away from the game, Osaka said she watched a lot of Swiatek on television.

“I’m honestly really excited,” Osaka said. “I watched her a lot when I was pregnant. I think it’s an honor to play her in the French Open, because she’s won more than once here, for sure. So taking it as an experience and kind of knowing that I feel like I’m the underdog, and I think I thrive in those situations.”

This is the kind of rich history, Osaka -- has never beaten a Top 10 player on clay -- is up against:

Swiatek, who turns 23 at the end of the month, is now 29-2 at Roland Garros, which works out to 93.3 percent. Only Margaret Court (95.2) was better.

“Obviously our tennis changed since Miami 2022, and also our [ranking] position as well, a little bit,” Swiatek said. “But for sure nowadays in women’s draw you can play Grand Slam champions early in the tournament. It is pretty tricky because you know these players are really experienced.

“They also achieved many great things. So they have bigger kind of belief, I would say.”

wtatennis.com

This match was played under the roof so took Iga a bit of time to adjust to the conditions (especially since practice is always under an open sky). 

This was also the fist match with different conditions vs Rome so don't think anyone including Iga herself expected perfection. 

First matches in a slam are always the trickiest so happy she got through it with relative ease, and will undoubtedly only get better with each match.

Tomorrow's forecast in Paris looks pretty awful, so I'm sure all 3 roofs will get a work out. 

And having played under there previously I think Iga will now be more comfortable.

Ever since Naomi Osaka came back from maternity leave fans have been waiting for their inevitable meeting, and now it's finally happening in the 2nd round of Roland Garros.

They have never played each other on clay, so that in itself will be interesting. 

I am very intrigued to see how it goes.

Jazda!