Swiatek soars to set up Sabalenka semi

Her quest to become the first woman to win four successive titles on Court Philippe-Chatrier continues following a masterclass from the Pole on Tuesday.

Elina Svitolina is one of the tour’s toughest competitors; she defeated Swiatek in three scintillating sets at this stage of Wimbledon in 2023. Not today though. The defending champion marches on into the semi-finals to face world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Story of the match

Four of the seven games in the first set went to deuce, making the scoreboard harsh reading for Svitolina.

The key game came at 3-1 when the No.13 seed earned two break back points. She failed to convert and the Pole held on.

The Swiatek patterns and angles were working wonders, with winners zipping down the lines to finish perfectly constructed points – and the set.

Svitolina, a four-time quarter-finalist here at Porte d’Auteuil, bounced back by racing 3-1 up in the second.

Swiatek’s idol is Rafael Nadal and with a lasooed forehand reminiscent of the 14-time champion, the world No.5 restored parity.

The Ukrainian deflected a sumptuous backhand volley to hold for 5-4, before Swiatek’s champion instincts clicked in to take three games in a row.

Key stats

Swiatek’s record at Roland-Garros after taking the first set? Thirty seven wins and no losses.

Building off a three-peat of titles (2022-24), the No.5 seed extends her winning streak in Paris to 26 matches. That equals the longest winning run in a women’s singles Grand Slam this century. Serena Williams posted 26 victories at the US Open from 2012-15.

Only Rafael Nadal (96.6%) and Bjorn Borg (96.1%) have a higher winning percentage than Swiatek (95.2%) at Roland-Garros in the Open era (minimum two main draw appearances).

Swiatek's assessment

On playing Svitolina: "I should have had better intensity at the beginning of the second set because Elina is the kind of player that plays better under pressure.

"When she is losing she always steps up, so I needed to be ready for that. After I saw that happening, my intensity immediately went up. I wanted to be proactive and really lead in the game, so I'm happy I did that.”

On finishing with three aces in the closing game: "You could see that my serve was kind of weird, but that was also because of the wind. I think we both wanted to figure out how to work around that, but at the end of the first set I felt the wind went down a little bit so I knew I could go for it.

"I just went all in at the end. I think I served three lines, I'm pretty proud of that because it doesn't happen often. It's nice to win some points for free, for sure."

On her semi-final against Sabalenka: “The Madrid final against her is one of the best and most exciting finals that I have played,” said Swiatek, who edged Sabalenka 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(6) in the Madrid 2024 final, gaining revenge for a Madrid 2023 final defeat.  

“It is always a challenge against Aryna. She really has a game for every surface, so I just need to focus on myself, do the work, be brave in my shots and just go for it.

"I'm going to prepare tactically tomorrow for sure. She has been having a great season so I'm not going to lie, it is going to be a tough match. But I'm happy for the challenge."