Unstoppable Swiatek firm favourite for second French Open title
Paris, France - Riding a 28-match unbeaten run into Roland Garros and a winner of her past five tournaments, Iga Swiatek is the undeniable favourite for a second French Open title in three years.
Since the shock retirement of world number one Ashleigh Barty, the 20-year-old Swiatek has swept aside all-comers and transformed herself into the player to beat in women’s tennis.
The Pole hasn’t lost since falling to another former Roland Garros champion, Jelena Ostapenko, in Dubai in February. Her winning streak is the longest on the WTA tour since Serena Williams won 34 matches in a row in 2013.
“It’s pretty hard to describe it because all these tournaments that I’ve won seem pretty surreal right now. I feel like just continuing the same things that I did before really was the key to that,” Swiatek said after defending her Rome crown.
She is only the second player to win four WTA 1000 titles in a season.
Swiatek dominated on the hard courts in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami, and made a seamless switch to clay -- her triumph in Rome came after she skipped Madrid to rest following another victory in Stuttgart.
“Honestly I’m going to do the same way I’ve done here, also at other tournaments,” said Swiatek.
“I’m going to try to do step by step, just think of the next match as I did in these tournaments.
“If I’m going to treat it as any other tournament, I think it’s going to be fine and I’m going to be able to keep it that way.”
Williams, who turns 41 in September, has not played since retiring in the first round at Wimbledon last year, and her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou is now working with two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, who won her first major in Paris in 2018.
Unpredictable
Unlike the men’s event where Rafael Nadal has won 13 of the past 17 editions, a first-time women’s Grand Slam champion has been crowned in each of the past six French Opens.
Most recently, Barbora Krejcikova emerged as an unlikely victor, the first player to win both the singles and doubles at Roland Garros since Mary Pierce in 2000.
I’m going to try to do step by step, just think of the next match as I did in these tournaments
IGA SWIATEK