Iga Swiatek beat Jasmine Paolini in the French Open final at Roland Garros 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday.
The No 1 seed prevailed over the No 12 seed in 69 minutes, in a display of the titanium focus and immunity to scoreboard pressure that has made her the best women’s player in the world.
It is her fourth French Open title and third in a row, matching the feats of only Justine Henin and Monica Seles in the Open era by winning three consecutive finals at Roland Garros.
The Athletic’s writers, Charlie Eccleshare and Matt Futterman, analyze the final and what it means for tennis.
How did Swiatek shake off her nerves?
Three games into this match, and after all the talk of how Paolini would start in her first Grand Slam final, it was actually Swiatek who looked a little nervous.
She made a few errors and found herself an early break down at 2-1. It was understandable that she might feel a little on edge — she was going into the match as the overwhelming favourite where anything but a win would have been a disaster. She was also chasing history, looking for three in a row and the chance to draw joint-third with Justine Henin on the Open Era Roland Garros leaderboard, with four titles.
But then Swiatek does what she does better than anyone in the sport: Dust herself down and get to work….
