PARIS: Iga Swiatek strengthened her reputation as the queen of clay by capturing a third straight French Open crown with a crushing 6-2 6-1 victory over 12th seed Jasmine Paolini on Saturday to claim her fifth Grand Slam title.
Swiatek’s 21st straight victory at her happiest hunting ground put her in fourth place in the list of longest winning streaks at Roland Garros in the Open era behind only Chris Evert (29), Monica Seles (25) and Justine Henin (24).
The 23-year-old, who arrived in Paris in the form of her life having lifted titles in Madrid and Rome, extended her run of victories on clay this year to a career-best 19 matches and celebrated with her fourth French Open title in five years.
Swiatek came out all guns blazing early in the contest but after narrowly missing the chance to break from 0-40 down in the second game, the top-seeded Pole made heavy weather of the next to surrender her serve, before bouncing right back.
The diminutive Paolini, only the third Italian woman after Francesca Schiavone and Sara Errani to reach the Roland Garros final since the sport turned professional in 1968, went toe to toe with Swiatek from there but cracked in the sixth game.
With the momentum shifting, claycourt specialist Swiatek began to dominate the exchanges from the baseline, superbly working the angles and sealing the opening set in 37 minutes after winning 20 out of 24 points since going down a break.
A shell-shocked Paolini smiled and soaked up the support and applause from the crowd on the main showcourt when she won the odd point early in the next set, but her challenge faded in the afternoon sun as Swiatek broke twice to build a 4-0 lead.
Swiatek, who dropped only one set throughout the tournament in a second-round epic with Naomi Osaka, won 10 successive games before Paolini got on the scoreboard, but there was to be no late comeback drama and the knockout blow was not long in coming.
Swiatek closed out the victory when Paolini sent a shot long and rejoiced by dropping to her knees and pumping her fists, letting out a huge roar, before joining her entourage in the stands for another round of celebrations.
Swiatek dismantles Paolini to win third straight French Open title
https://arab.news/5cayk
Swiatek dismantles Paolini to win third straight French Open title
- Swiatek’s 21st straight victory at her happiest hunting ground put her in fourth place in the list of longest winning streaks at Roland Garros
- The diminutive Paolini went toe to toe with Swiatek from there but cracked in the sixth game
Semifinals’ lineup complete as historic wheelchair tennis debuts at Abu Dhabi Open
- Tauson, Bejlek, Alexandrova and Baptiste secure semifinal spots, while Eala and Tjen advance in doubles
- Crowd favorite Eala exits after straight-sets defeat by Alexandrova
ABU DHABI: Thursday saw a landmark achieved at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open as wheelchair tennis made its groundbreaking debut alongside a decisive quarterfinal sweep that saw Clara Tauson, Sara Bejlek, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Hailey Baptiste advance to the semifinals.
Tauson beat McCartney Kessler in an impressive performance, while Czech qualifier Bejlek dropped just two games to dispatch British No. 2 Sonay Kartal. Alexandrova, the highest seed remaining in the tournament, ended Alexandra Eala’s run in straight sets, before Baptiste overcame Liudmila Samsonova in three sets.
“McCartney played some good tennis, but I also played well,” said Tauson. “She was hitting some very good winners, but I kept my cool, kept fighting and that helped me a lot today. It’s great to be in the semifinals.”
In the doubles semifinal on ADCB Court 1, Eala and Janice Tjen delivered an impressive performance in front of packed crowds to defeat Cristina Bucşa and Shuai Zhang in straight sets.
“We were trying to be aggressive and have fun,” said Eala. “When you have a good relationship with your partner, you’re not afraid to go with your gut. If you make errors, it’s okay because you have that chemistry and you’re willing to try what feels right.”
Away from the main draw action, history was made as the tournament launched its inaugural Mubadala Wheelchair Tennis Invitational presented by the WTA Foundation, becoming the first standalone WTA event to feature wheelchair tennis.
The three-player tournament saw wheelchair tennis legend Jiske Griffioen of the Netherlands defeat Maria Angélica Bernal of Colombia in today’s opening match, securing her place in Saturday’s final against world No. 1 Yui Kamiji of Japan.
Off the court, the day delivered inspiring moments for fans and the community. Wheelchair tennis stars Griffioen, Bernal and Kamiji hosted a clinic with Heroes of Hope — the UAE’s non-profit sports academy — with children welcomed onto the court for an unforgettable experience. Slovak star Tereza Mihalikova spent time with schoolchildren, signing autographs and taking photos, while Bejlek engaged with fans through an exclusive Q&A at the Mubadala Hospitality Pavilion.
Nigel Gupta, tournament director at organizers MARI, said: “Today has been historic for wheelchair tennis. The inaugural invitational has already captured the imagination and having Yui and Jiske heading to Saturday’s final showcases the extraordinary level of this sport. “Alongside that, the quarterfinals produced the kind of brilliant tennis we expect at this level, setting up compelling semifinals matchups tomorrow in both the singles and doubles.”
The semifinals will take place on Friday. On Stadium Court, the doubles semifinal begins at 4 p.m. with Mihalikova and Nicholls facing Eala and Tjen. Baptiste then takes on Alexandrova in a singles semifinal, followed by Bejlek clashing with Tauson. On ADCB Court 1, Sofia Kenin and Desirae Krawczyk battle Alexandrova and Maya Joint in the other doubles semifinal.
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open final takes place on Saturday, Feb. 7.
