Iga Swiatek handed a tough draw at French Open for her title defense as Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka stand in way
Swiatek handed a Rybakina-Sabalenka challenge this time around.
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Iga Swiatek (Image via Sports Illustrated)
The number-one player in the women’s draw certainly draws attention. Iga Swiatek has had the eyes of the tennis world on her for all the right reasons in the last two years. 2023 has once again been a consistent season for her, and she will look to carry that momentum into the second Grand Slam of the year. With regular deep runs and multiple finals, Swiatek has proven that she is in for a fight.
Her clay season started off with a bang. She extended her 16-match winning streak on the clay to 25 this year before she lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Madrid. She faced a relatively early exit from Rome when she went down to her 2023 nemesis, Elena Rybakina.
The 2023 French Open is going to be nothing short of a challenge for the no. 1 player. She faced both Rybakina and Sabalenka in her path to glory in Paris.
A Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina clash awaits in the semi-final
Swiatek will start her tournament facing No. 66 Cristina Bucsa. She wouldn’t worry much, as the Spaniard hasn’t had much success on the tour this year. Her second-round clash is with No. 56, Claire Liu. The American would be another easy opponent for the in-form Swiatek as she would look to race to round 3. Marie Bouzkova comes in front of the No. 1 in round 3. Swiatek would again try to get done with the contest as quickly as possible to gear up for the real challenge.
The tournament picks up intense speed in Round 4. Swiatek has a former Roland Garros winner and a former semi-finalist in line. Barbora Krejcikova or Victoria Azarenka may play the No. 1 in Round 4. Both players could prove tricky for Swiatek, as both have good Paris memories from the past. The quarterfinals pose a similar challenge, as she could face last year’s finalist, Coco Gauff. She might also face Veronica Kudermetova, who has also had a few decent runs this year.
Swiatek needs to make sure that she doesn’t tire herself up until here. The draw gets tougher and tougher. She will now meet the other two favorites for the trophy. Elena Rybakina lines herself up for the semifinals, as she has had the upper hand over Swiatek this year. Defeating her on three separate occasions. The most recent one is the Rome Quarterfinal.
Overcoming her would mean that Swiatek will take on world no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The reigning Madrid champion will look to make it two in two when it comes to Grand Slams this year. All in all, it’s not an ideal draw. However, one can back the world no. 1 to scale a challenge like this, as she does have the toughness to do it.
Iga Swiatek’s potential path to his 3rd French Open title
- Round 1- Cristina Bucsa
- Round 2- Claire Liu
- Round 3- Marie Bouzkova
- Round 4- Barbora Krejcikova/ Victoria Azarenka
- Quarter-finals- Veronica Kudermetova/ Coco Gauff
- Semi-finals- Elena Rybakina
- Final- Aryna Sabalenka
In case you missed it:
- Novak Djokovic handed tricky draw in pursuit of 3rd French Open Title, might face Carlos Alacaraz in semis
- ‘Misery continues!’ Paula Badosa set to miss the French Open courtesy of a stress fracture after missing the Australian Open earlier this year
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Manan Mehta
(215 Articles Published)