On Tuesday at Roland Garros, Iga Swiatek added another win to her collection by defeating Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the score of 6-1, 7-5 and earned an entry to the semifinals of the event. A 24-year-old Pole, a champion in Paris, will be the first female ever to win four consecutive titles if she makes it through at the Grand Slam tournament.
As good as it sounded,at this year’s tournament, Swiatek was probably the least expected to be able to win the title in Paris, but she has proved her critics wrong and has managed to turn things around all over again. In this year’s French Open, she was not at all for her first time being defeated; not only that, but her name had not appeared in the list of immediate finalists, and that was rather astonishing!
Swiatek, who was lifeless for the entirety of the period prior to the tournament, seemed to be filled with energy on the surfaces of clay again so much that she could win 26 games in a row at Roland Garros, hence my unbeaten mention. Frightful forehand spins and precise placement of the ball in each point put the Ukrainian so much under pressure that she was regularly sprawling her way in the first set.
Whether it was her male fans’ loud cheering or her own fortitude that led her to suffer Svitolina’s fierce punishment after a while, at least there was a moment when the latter was ahead with 4 games to 5. Nevertheless, Svitolina’s regression of performance led to Swiatek’s taking the reins and winning the last 3 games in a row, finishing the game with three successive aces, – one of which was a winning one.
Swiatek is set to play against Sabalenka, the top-ranked player, in an eagerly awaited semi-final. Potential favorite for the title, she remarked, “Aryna is always a tough opponent. I have to be courageous and take risks”. The semifinals participant from Belarus was rewarded by her victory in straight sets over the Chinese Zheng.
