Iga Swiatek's Roland Garros 3 year reign ends in the semis

It's been a few days now and I'm still processing it all, but also feeling an immense amount of pride in Iga Swiatek.  

Sure there's plenty of disappointment and sadness as well but mainly I just feel proud. 

Iga somehow  defied the odds when everyone (including myself at times) completely wrote her off. 

She came into Roland Garros without a single final or title and no real form for the first time in years, and yet she still made the semi-finals. That in itself shows what a great talent she is. 

She also did it having a much tougher draw then the top 2 players currently on the WTA, and a poor showing at both lead up tournaments of Marid and Rome (all of which she was of course the defending champion).

Despite all that she came into Paris a week and a half early and trained and completely turned around her mind set and got back into the 2nd week of her favourite Slam. Not many players would have been able to do that. 

And despite the extremely tough loss I'm so impressed with the way Iga fought in those first 2 sets, under the roof.

Conditions which were more favourable to her big serving opponent. 

Many have been calling the third set a collapse (given she lost it 6-0). 

But again Iga came into this tournament with very low confidence, not having reached 1 final this year and she still give the current world #1 Aryna Sabalenka a bigger fight then the rest of the opponents in her draw. 

She give it her all as she always does.

That last set in my opinion is the result of low confidence, lack of finals and titles, perhaps a little bit of lack of belief.  All things a player needs to win with the best. 

Part of me will always be wondering how this match would have gone had the roof been open, because it does change the conditions quite a bit. And for those 2 sets Iga was going toe to toe with Aryna. 

3 years, 11 months  27 days and 4 Roland-Garros titles later the astounding 26 match win streak comes to an end.

But what a ride it was!.

Another one for the tennis history books, a run that will not soon be repeated. 

And certainly not one anyone (myself included) will soon forget.

Iga has set the bar so extraordinarily high at Roland Garros (and everywhere else) that it's hard not to see every other result short of a title as a failure. 

But the reality is form dips happen to every great player at some point in their career. 

After 5 years of high standards and dominance it's completely normal to have a moment of weakness like this. 

In fact I'd say it happens so often it's actually more surprising it hasn't happened to Iga until now. It happened to the 3 greats Nadal, Federer and Djokovic at some stage in their career.

The good news for Iga is she's still so young, she has time on her side to improve and build on things. 

We're only half way through the season so plenty of time for Iga to do just that this year. 

I hope she doesn't get too discouraged with this loss but instead takes the wins here as a huge positive that she's back on track and just needs to keep working. 

Things are definitely starting to click back into place. She just came across someone with supreme confidence at the moment who's got a lot more wins in finals under her belt. 

And really if she had to lose to anyone here of all places I'm glad it was to the world's best instead of someone random. 

There's never any shame in losing to the best, only shows you where your level is at. 

Knowing Iga and her perfectionist nature she's going to keep working and come back even stronger. 

This will definitely not be the last time we see Iga Swiatek's name on Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, of that I have no doubt. 

Keep your head up Iga, while this loss hurts a lot now you'll bounce back from this!.

Who knows maybe this will be the year you discover your talent on grass.

Until then as always we take things one step and one match at a time.

See you on the green stuff.

Jazda!

Personally I don't think I'm quite ready to see anyone else holding that trophy just yet, so I'm going to give the women's final a miss this year and focus on the men this Sunday instead.

Iga Swiatek back in Roland Garros semis with 26th consecutive win

 

Defending champion Iga Swiatek extended her Paris superlatives on Tuesday, reaching her fourth straight Roland Garros semifinal and earning her 26th consecutive victory at this event.

No. 5 seed Swiatek of Poland defeated No. 13 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 7-5 in their quarterfinal meeting on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Svitolina needed 1 hour and 41 minutes to collect her fourth win in five matches against Svitolina.

Despite holding her lowest ranking since 2022 and nearly falling to Elena Rybakina in the previous round, Swiatek pulled out some of her peak play to dismiss Svitolina, who was seeking an appearance in her fourth career Grand Slam semifinal.

"Even though first set, the score looks pretty straightforward, it wasn't like that in any other games," Swiatek said to the press. "I had to fight for every point. I'm happy that I also stepped up when she broke me in the second set, and that I kept my intensity until the end."

Semifinal showdown vs. Sabalenka: The stage is now set for a semifinal clash between the two players who have locked down the No. 1 ranking since April of 2022.

Swiatek, who has spent 125 weeks at World No. 1, will face current World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenkain the final four on Thursday. Sabalenka is enjoying her 41st week at the top of the rankings and ousted reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in their quarterfinal.

Swiatek leads the overall head-to-head 8-4, and the clay-court head-to-head 5-1. Sabalenka, though, beat Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 in their most recent meeting, on the hard courts of Cincinnati last year. This will be their first-ever meeting at Roland Garros.

"For sure our rivalry is pushing both of us, I think, but it's not only about the level of tennis," Swiatek said. "It's about like everything, how we work, and how professional we are."

Clay-court queens: Svitolina started the day as this year's clay-court match-win leader, with 16 victories on the dirt in 2025. She won an indoor-clay title in Rouen, made the semifinals in Madrid and the quarterfinals in Rome.

Swiatek, meanwhile, entered Roland Garros without a clay-court title for the first time since 2020. However, she won that 2020 Roland Garros championship anyway, and she still has a chance to take the crown for a fifth time after closing out Svitolina's stellar clay-court swing.

Swiatek is the fifth player in the Open Era, including women and men, to win 25 or more consecutive singles matches at Roland Garros. The rest of that list: Rafael Nadal, Chris Evert, Bjorn Borg and Monica Seles.

"I feel like on this court and overall, like, Roland Garros, I should always push until the end and fight for everything," Swiatek said. "Because there's more [probability] that I overcome some stuff rather than in other places. I just maybe believe it a little bit more."

Match moments: Tuesday’s first-set scoreline looks routine, but Svitolina did have three chances to break in the opening frame. Swiatek had to grind out a particularly tough hold for 4-1 to maintain her break advantage.

Once she got through that game, Swiatek and her signature forehand took control. In the next game, Swiatek used that wing to convert her fifth break point of another lengthy tussle and lead 5-1. She eased to the one-set lead from there.

As windy conditions intensified in the second set, Svitolina made her presence felt. The Ukrainian jumped out to a 3-1 lead before Swiatek regrouped, slamming rally forehands crosscourt to pull back on serve.

Still, Svitolina was two points away from taking the second set after a forehand winner gave her deuce at 5-4. Swiatek, though, was not to be denied, holding on for 5-5, then cranking a forehand return winner off of a second serve to break for 6-5.

Serving for the match, Swiatek summoned her second ace of the day to queue up double match point. Her third ace of the day followed immediately thereafter, and the Polish player was back in the Roland Garros semifinals, a place she is very familiar with.

wtatennis.com

The score of the match is a bit deceiving, there were a lot of deuce games, and Svitolina definitely started to push back more in the 2nd. 

Iga did a great job to not let Svitolina back into the match and close it out in 2. 

Conditions were quite tricky with huge guts of wind and the clay flying everywhere. Reminded me of when Rogar and Rafa played one year and it looked like they were in an orange desert. 

Up next it'll be Iga's biggest challenge yet Sabalenka  (rumor is it might rain so the semis might be played under a roof). 

Which would not make it easier for Iga, but we'll wait and see. 

It's gonna be a tough one but if anyone can handle Sabalenka's power and redirect it well it's Iga. Saba has added a lot of things to her game like coming to the net more so Iga we'll have to be on the look out for volley's and dropshots.

I know Aryna is fast but, Iga is still one of the best movers on clay so I believe she'll do better at that then Saba. It'll be interesting to see who's nerves hold up better. 

On paper Iga is the one with all the pressure being a 3 time defending champion, and Aryna is the underdog. 

But she's also a world #1 who hasn't won a Slam as the World number 1 yet, so you have to wonder whether that'll be a bit of a factor for nerves. 

We hope for better weather and as always take it point by point and believe. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek survives Rybakina to make it 25 straight at Roland Garros

 

The first eight games of Iga Swiatek's fourth-round match against Elena Rybakina were unlike anything we've seen at Roland Garros in recent years.

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek looked out of sorts on Court Philippe-Chatrier -- the same stage where she’s won the trophy each of the past three years. But on Sunday, she was a long way from that level, piling up 27 unforced errors in the first nine games and quickly falling behind to Rybakina, 6-1, 2-0.

But Swiatek was not about to let her 24-match winning streak in Paris end without a fight. A missed smash by No. 12 seed Rybakina on break point pulled Swiatek level -- and a comeback effort by the former World No. 1 was on the cards.

It required a titanic struggle in the third set, but by the end of 2 hours and 30 minutes, Swiatek was a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victor -- her 25th straight match won at the French Open.

"It means a lot," Swiatek said in postmatch press. "I think I needed that kind of win to feel these feelings that I'm able to win under pressure, and even if it's not going the right way, you know, still turn the match around to win it.

"For sure it's a great confirmation for me. ... Obviously it's great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it's not always going to be possible. I'm happy that I fought, and I also problem-solved on court."

Svitolina next up: No. 5 seed Swiatek will now take on No. 13 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the quarterfinals. Svitolina toppled last year's runner-up to Swiatek, Jasmine Paolini, earlier on Sunday, saving three match points in the process.


Swiatek leads their head-to-head 3-1. Svitolina ousted Swiatek at 2023 Wimbledon, but Swiatek won their other three meetings, including their only previous encounter on clay at 2021 Rome.

Swiatek stays stellar: Swiatek has seen her ranking slip from No. 1 to No. 5 over the past year, and she has not won a title since her championship here last year. This is the first year since 2020 that Swiatek has entered her best event without having won a title.

But she held off former Wimbledon champion Rybakina -- a player who, amazingly, had beaten Swiatek in both of their previous clay-court meetings. This time, Swiatek solved the puzzle, and she is now an incredible 39-2 at this event.

Third-set thrills: Swiatek posted a heroic effort to level the match at one set apiece, but any momentum she might have continued was counteracted by Rybakina, who used a huge rally backhand to literally knock the racquet out of Swiatek’s hands in a hold for 3-2.

The pair exchanged breaks through 4-4, and Swiatek seemed to break in the next game after a Rybakina double fault down break point. The call, however, was overturned, and the Kazakh eventually held on in that game to put herself a game away from snapping Swiatek’s streak.

The four-time champion, though, was not fazed. She threw down a thunderous love hold to reach 5-5, then got back in the lead after breaking Rybakina once again. Serving for the victory at 6-5, Swiatek’s forehand peaked when she needed it most, finding fiery shots from that wing to close out the grueling tussle.

"I haven't noticed that I made so many winners from my forehand, but for sure, I know it's a weapon," Swiatek said. "I like it on clay. ... It's a shot that I use to kind of lead in the points, so I'm glad it worked."

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek proved today why she is a 4-time Roland Garros Champion. 

What a comeback!. 

I have to admit when Iga lost the first set ( almost got bageled) and then got broken in the 2nd I thought the match was over. 

I was ready too say too good from Rybakina and then drown in a pool of tears. 

But Iga just did not give up she fought in the last game to not get bageled and took her opportunities once Rybakina's level dropped. 

That first set from Rybakina was nearly perfect Iga wasn't actually playing badly but Rybakina didn't give her any room to breathe and just kept hitting winners. 

Not a whole lot anyone could have done. 

The set was over so fast Iga barely had time to be shocked or mad. 

I actually wanted her to get mad and yell at one point because she wasn't showing any emotion. 

But that turned out to be a good thing because she kept her focus, didn't panic or get too frustrated just made Rybakina hit one more shot with her trademark foot speed. 

The other thing she did was something many have been telling her to do for years but she has as always been too stubborn to and that's adjust her position and moving back on return. 

Thus making Rybakina hit more balls and put more pressure on her serve.

That one volley Rybakina missed at net turned out to be the key to the whole match.  

In the final set when Rybakina's double fault was over ruled and Iga didn't get the break I once again thought that was it. 

But Iga showed real mental resilience today (something she has been missing since Australia). It was absolute joy to see. If this win doesn't help with confidence in her game again I don't know what will. 

This was truly something else!. 

Next Iga will play Svitolina who'll also be full of confidence having survived 3 match points, so it will not be easy. 

But none of Iga's remaining matches are. 

  If she wants to win the title this year she's really going to have to come up with her best tennis. 

Svitolina will definitely fight for every point so there'll no doubt be a lot of physical points involved. 

Hopefully though Iga can use that to her advantage and tire Svitolina out. 

For now we enjoy this spectacular win, and as always take it match by match and believe.

Jazda!.

Stats

25 - Iga Swiatek is the fifth player in the Open Era to win 25+ consecutive Singles matches at Roland Garros after Rafael Nadal, Chris Evert, Bjorn Borg and Monica Seles. Historical.

50 - Iga Swiatek has made their 50thcareer WTA level quarter-final (excluding team events): since 2019, when she made her first in Lugano, she is the second player to have 50+ in that span along with Aryna Sabalenka. Golden.

Iga Swiatek makes 24 straight wins at Roland Garros tying an all time great

Iga Swiatek's quest for a fourth straight French Open title stayed on track Friday, as the top seed stretched her Paris winning streak to 24 with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Jaqueline Cristian to reach the Round of 16 for the seventh year running.

On the hottest day of the tournament so far, the three-time defending champion denied the recent Rabat finalist a final set, despite an inspired second-set performance. After getting through the first set without facing a break point, Swiatek saved all six she faced in the second set -- and denied Cristian a game point for a second-set tiebreak before breaking serve to win the match.

The prevailing emotion Swiatek felt after the 1-hour, 54-minute win? Relief.

"I'm just happy that I was super solid in the last game and didn't give any free points ... she used her chances and went for it every time I gave her a chance," Swiatek said afterward. "It was a great match and I think pretty entertaining. We both played nice. I'm happy I'm through and happy with the performance."

But that wasn't the only impressive number that came out of the victory for Swiatek.

She is now 38-2 in her first 40 matches at Roland Garros, tying queen of clay Chris Evert for the most main-draw wins at the tournament. She is also the sixth player to reach the Round of 16 in her first seven Roland-Garros appearances in the Open Era after Evert, Martina Navratilova, Gabriela Sabatini, Conchita Martinez and Monica Seles.

To tie Seles for the second longest winning streak at the French Open in the Open Era at 25, Swiatek will need to beat No. 12 seed Elena Rybakina who handled 2017 Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2.

wtatennis.com  

She may not have won a title yet this year but tomorrow she turns 24 years old (I was off by a day in my last post) and the records just keep on coming. 

Another very solid performance today on a sweltering hot day. 

Iga showed real grit and patience in the 2nd set as her opponent started to put up more of a fight. Her foot speed proved vital (something that she has been missing since the clay season started). 

Coming to Roland Garros 10 days early and training was a really good call it turns out. So far she has done a really good job at changing her mindset as well although that will be truly tested when she has to face Rybakina on Sunday. 

Who thankfully took out Iga's nemesis Ostapenko. 

Rybakina's most dangerous weapon is her serve of course (something she used effectively with Ostapenko) and the deep shots she can hit to push Iga back. 

The first serve percentage was definitely not up at her usual standards however so if Iga does a good job protecting hers (ass she did today saving all 6 break points she faced) she may be able to use that to her advantage. 

Iga does have a better 2nd serve as well so I truly believe she can win. 

Definitely has to move Rybakina around and use her speed. The only tournament with conditions remotely similar to Roland Garros is Rome. 

Which Iga last played with Rybakina a few years ago where she retired due to a rib issue (so I never count this as a win). Really the only time Rybakina has beaten Iga on clay is the indoor tournament of Stuttgart. Completely different. 

It defintely will not be easy in the lightest but there's a reason why Iga has won Roland Garros 4 of the past 5 years, she showed that today and I believe she'll do so again on Sunday. 

Jazda Iga!.

Iga Swiatek makes it 23 straight wins at Roland Garros

 

Iga Swiatek a four-time Roland Garros champion and three-time defending winner, extended her streak at the French Open to 23 consecutive matches with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Emma Raducanu on Wednesday.

After early exits in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome, Swiatek looked locked in. She converted four of six break points, saved all four against her, and finished with 31 winners to just 22 unforced errors. She won all nine points at net and 63 of 100 overall.

After.ward, Swiatek was succinct.

“From the beginning, I knew what I wanted to do -- so I just did it,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I had a good time on the court, and I felt the game pretty well, so I just went for it.”

Only three players have put together longer streaks at Roland Garros: Chris Evert (29), Monica Seles (25) and Justine Henin (24). Swiatek can draw even with Henin in Friday’s third round, where she’ll play Jaqueline Cristiana, a three-set winner over qualifier Sara Bejlek

Time and again, Swiatek’s revved-up topspin forehand pushed Raducanu back, opening up the court for a number of shorter balls. Her footwork, which she criticized after losing a straight-sets third-round match in Rome, was mostly impeccable.

“In recent weeks, every time I stepped out, I felt differently,” Swiatek said. “Like sometimes I felt like super confident and everything, and sometimes I just lacked energy. So it was hard to navigate that.

“This is a totally different tournament. I have been feeling good, and that’s it.

Raducanu managed to win only one game the last time they met, back in January in the third round of the Australian Open, but the two previous matches on clay were quite close.

Not this time, although Raducanu came out quickly, intent on attacking the No. 5 seed’s second serve and playing aggressively.

Crowding the baseline, she induced Swiatek to double fault in the opening game and collected her first break point. Swiatek erased it with a booming serve and after a tense six minutes managed to hold.

Swiatek scored her first break 21 minutes in to take a 3-1 lead. She held and broke Raducanu a second time before serving out the first set -- with her first ace of the match.

The second set looked a lot like the first, with Swiatek collecting another pair of breaks.

Raducanu, looking to reach the third round here for the first time, lost her fifth straight meeting against a former major champion and is 1-8 against Top 5 opponents.

“I think in the beginning of the match it was pretty tight,” Raducanu said later. “As it went on, I think she grew in confidence. I just felt a bit exposed.

“It’s difficult. You just don’t really feel like there is that much space on the court, and certain moments you overhit, because yeah, you just feel constant pressure.”

Swiatek has now beaten the 2021 US Open champion five times in five tries -- and has yet to drop a set. Instructively, she is the only player of either gender to reach the third round in all 21 Grand Slam singles draws played since 2020.

The 23-year-old Polish player is now 37-2 at Roland Garros, the second-best winning percentage (.949) of the Open era, and has 37 match-wins at the French Open, most among current players.

“I played two good matches, but I can’t expect that it’s all going to be easy now,” Swiatek said. “Because you always need to be on your toes and ready for what life brings you. One day it’s going to be good, one day it’s not going to be so easy.

“For sure coming here to Roland Garros, I feel like I like this place. I always played well here. It gives you some positive kick.”

wtatennis.com

When Iga plays well it's like watching a work of art being created right in front of your eyes. 

Today was the best I've seen Iga play since the clay season begun. it felt like the Iga of old, confident, going for her shots even winning 9 out of 9 points at net. 

And she looked happy on court, enjoying herself instead of looking stiff and stressed. It was like a breath of fresh air. 

A win like this was truly needed. She's going to need these positive feeling and confidence for the rounds ahead because it only gets harder. 

Though her 3rd round opponent became slightly less so once Marta Kostyuk went out. It's the 4th round where the difficulty goes up. 

Iga would play either Elena Raybakina or the bane of her existence Jelena Ostapenko (who's the only player on the entire WTA Iga has not yet beaten) in 6 tries. 

Her head to head with Rybakina is definitely better having won the last 3 times they've played. 

If Iga gets through on Friday she would next play Sunday the 31stt of March which happens to be her 24th Birthday. 

Talk about an awful Birthday present possibly having to play your nemesis or the woman you feel uncomfortable against.  On the other hand it would  certainly feel even sweeter were she to finally get a win.

But as before we take it one match at a time and believe.

Jazda!

Stat of the day

90 - Among players who debuted in Women’s Singles Grand Slam events since 1990, only three have made 90 such wins in fewer matches than Iga Swiatek (109). Superpower.

Iga Swiatek starts Roland Garros title defense with a confident win

 

For the second major in a row, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu will meet in the first week.

No. 5 seed Iga Swiatek had to navigate a slightly trickier test than she is accustomed to in Grand Slam first rounds, coming from 3-1 down in the second set to open her Roland Garros title defense with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Rebecca Sramkova. Raducanu followed after overcoming Wang Xinyu 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a 2-hour, 44-minute thriller on Court 8.

In the third round of the Australian Open in January, Swiatek routed Raducanu 6-0, 6-1 in 1 hour and 10 minutes. The former World No. 1 has yet to drop a set to Raducanu in four meetings. However, their closest meetings have both come on clay, in the Stuttgart quarterfinals in 2022 and 2024. On those occasions, Swiatek came through 6-4, 6-4 and 7-6(2), 6-3 respectively.

"I didn't really think about [the Australian Open] match, honestly," Swiatek said after defeating Sramkova. "I was thinking about our Stuttgart match, and I think we played another time on clay after -- I'm not sure. I'm not good at that. But I don't really take a lot from that except the experience and ... knowing how she plays.

"But Melbourne and Roland Garros [are] totally different surfaces, different stories. I'll prepare tactically as I should before a clay court match, and that's it."

Raducanu, meanwhile, will enter the match with a nothing-to-lose attitude.

"It's a match for me where I can really test and challenge myself," she said. "Especially on clay, it's her preferred tournament, surface. She's won it, like, four times. It's a match where I can just ... go for my shots, because I know if I just push the ball, I'm probably going to get eaten."

Swiatek survives challenge from Sramkova

Sramkova was also a repeat opponent from Melbourne for Swiatek. In the second round of the Australian Open, Swiatek had needed just an hour to win 6-0, 6-2. In the rematch, No. 42-ranked Sramkova brought a higher level to the court, holding her own in high-octane baseline rallies and striking 23 winners, just two fewer than Swiatek's 25.

Blending power with touch on the drop shot and lob, Sramkova made the first half of both sets tightly contested -- but Swiatek asserted her authority when it mattered. At 3-3 in the first set, the former World No. 1 upped her aggression levels to pressure Sramkova with a series of winners, converting her third break point with a sweet backhand down the line. From 3-1 down in the second set, Swiatek took back control with a rapid-fire run through 10 consecutive points, and ultimately five straight games.

The result extended four-time champion Swiatek's winning streak at Roland Garros to 22, and her winning streak in WTA tournament opening matches to 60. Her last losses in both came to Maria Sakkari -- in the 2021 Roland Garros quarterfinals and 2021 WTA Finals Guadalajara round-robin respectively.

wtatennis.com