World No. 1, Iga Swiatek, is unstoppable right now. The defending champion has made it to her third final in a mere four years at the French Open. The 22-year-old from Poland is yet to lose a set at Roland Garros and has scored as many as four bagels over the course of the tournament.
For a player as young as Swiatek, it is remarkable to show such consistency, especially on this red surface, where even the greatest players struggle. Winner in 2020 and 2022 and already a finalist this year, many are comparing Swiatek’s great run here with the winning streak of the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has won a record 14 Grand Slams at the French Open, the most ever in the history of the event.
However, the Polish star has refuted such claims and admitted that she is right now nowhere close to what Nadal has achieved in the Paris Major. Speaking in the post-match press conference after her semifinal victory against Beatriz Haddad Maia, Swiatek said, “Well, I wouldn’t say that kind of motivation; it’s my style, you know. I’m more of a person who just tries to do her best every day and hope for the best. I just try to compete, you know, keep it cool year by year and just do everything step by step. So, I wasn’t really thinking that.
Praising what Nadal has done is unprecedented, Swiatek further added, “But, no, like Rafa, what he did and what he’s still doing, it’s pretty amazing. I never kind of knew that it’s gonna be possible for me. So, it was totally out of my reach, if I can say that. And, you know, still he played so well so many years, I don’t know if it’s going to be possible for me.”
Iga Swiatek to face Karolina Muchova in the summit clash
Swiatek had an easy outing on Court Philippe Chartier yesterday, as the Pole dished out a clinical performance to outclass Haddad Maia in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6. It was another straight-set victory for Swiatek, as she has yet to drop a set this year at Roland Garros.
The World No. 1 will face unseeded Karolina Muchova in the final on Saturday. Muchova, in the other semifinal, staged a remarkable comeback to save a match point as well as win the five last consecutive games to upstage 2nd-seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6, 6-7, 7-5 in a marathon match.
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