Despite questions surrounding her form coming into the tournament, defending champion Iga Swiatek has advanced to the Roland Garros semifinals with a commanding 6-1 7-5 win over 13th seed Elina Svitolina. This is her 26th consecutive win at the French Open!
The 46-minute first set was far more competitive than the 6-1 scoreline suggests. Swiatek endured a grueling 13-minute battle to hold serve for a 4-1 lead in a marathon fifth game. The next game proved just as intense, with Svitolina saving four break points before Swiatek finally converted her fifth in a drawn-out game that featured four deuces. From there, the defending champion cruised through the remainder of the set.
Seventeen minutes into the second set, Svitolina earned her first break of the match to take a 3-1 lead. However, the Ukrainian’s advantage was short-lived, as Swiatek broke back immediately to level the score. At 5-5, the defending champion secured a crucial break and then sealed the victory in style, firing her first two aces of the match to close out the set with confidence.
Swiatek’s semifinal opponent will be top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who battled past Olympic gold medalist here in Paris, Zheng Qinwen, in the earlier quarterfinal.
