Swiatek on winning streak entering French Open
ROME — If there’s been one point during Iga Swiatek’s three-month unbeaten run that encapsulates why the top-ranked player has become nearly impossible to beat, it’s surely a 19-shot rally that she won against Ons Jabeur in the Italian Open final.
The point showed off all of the elements of Swiatek’s game, which explains why the 20-year-old Polish player is an overwhelming favorite to win her second French Open title when the clay-court Grand Slam begins on Sunday.
After climbing back from a 0-40 deficit and facing a fourth break point late in the second set of a 6-2, 6-2 victory, Swiatek really found her rhythm. She ran down two drop shots, retrieved a passing shot up the line — which landed on the line — and finally won it with a backhand stop-volley drop shot.
On display were Swiatek’s heavy topspin forehand, her expert court coverage and swift movement, her hands and feel for the ball at the net, and — perhaps most importantly — her never-give-up attitude.
“I kind of shifted my attitude from, ‘Whoa, she’s going to spread me around now,’ to, ‘I’m going to get to every ball now and play every point till the last shot,’” Swiatek said.
Nobody has beaten Swiatek since 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko defeated her in a third-set tiebreaker on Feb. 16. She has won 42 of the last 43 sets she’s contested.
If there were any questions about whether Swiatek deserved to be handed the No. 1 ranking when Ash Barty suddenly retired two months ago, that debate has subsided during Swiatek’s 28-match winning streak.
The last player to win more consecutive matches was Justine Henin, who won 32 straight in 2007 and 2008. The all-time longest streak belongs to Martina Navratilova, who had a run of 74 in 1984.