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Aryna Sabalenka ended Iga Swiatek’s French Open reign with a 7-6, 4-6, 6-0 win, reaching her first Roland Garros final, where she will face either Coco Gauff or Lois Boisson.
Aryna Sabalenka reaches her first Roland Garros final (AFP)
Aryna Sabalenka ended Iga Swiatek’s French Open reign with a decisive third-set performance on Thursday, advancing to the Roland Garros final against either Coco Gauff or France’s surprise contender Lois Boisson.
The Belarusian halted Swiatek’s 26-match French Open winning streak with a 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 6-0 victory, reaching her first final at the clay-court Grand Slam.
“Iga is the toughest opponent, especially on the clay and at Roland Garros,” Sabalenka said after becoming the first player to beat Swiatek in a deciding set at the French Open. “I’m proud that I was able to get this win.”
World number two Gauff and 361st-ranked wildcard Boisson will face each other in the second semi-final on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Sabalenka won a topsy-turvy first set featuring eight breaks of serve in a tie-break, before Swiatek leveled the match. The finale was an anti-climax, as Swiatek made 12 unforced errors in the third set and won only six points.
“I’m glad that I found my serve. It was a bit easier with the serve,” added the 27-year-old Sabalenka. “What can I say, 6-0 — it couldn’t be much more perfect than that!”
Sabalenka is aiming for her fourth Grand Slam title and her first on a surface other than hard courts, after winning the US Open last year and the Australian Open back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.
Swiatek has not reached a WTA final since lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen 12 months ago. Despite showing signs of revival on the Paris clay where she has dominated since winning as a teenager in 2020, her game faltered in the deciding set, leading to just her third French Open loss.
Sabalenka has now won their last two meetings and five out of 13 in total. This was the first time the pair, dominant players in women’s tennis in recent years, have faced each other in a Grand Slam tournament since Swiatek’s win in the 2022 US Open semi-finals on her way to the title.
Sabalenka will be a strong favorite to lift the trophy when she takes on either Gauff, who defeated her in the 2023 US Open final, or Boisson.
Swiatek, who aimed to become the first woman to win four consecutive French Opens in over a century, will drop to seventh in the world rankings next week.
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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