On Saturday, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek dominated American Coco Gauff on Court Philippe-Chatrier to claim the second French Open title of her young career.
It felt like just another day at the office for Swiatek, as she ousted the 18-year-old American in 68 minutes and extended her win streak to 35 matches – tying Venus Williams for the longest streak by a women’s player since 2000. Swiatek has not lost a final match in her last six tournaments, making it no surprise that she was able to pull off another championship run during her fortnight in Paris.
The Polish superstar showcased another picture-perfect tournament, dominating the Parisian clay courts and only dropping a single set in her fourth-round contest against Qinwen Zheng of China. After surviving her three-set battle with Zheng, Swiatek soared through to the finals with straight-set wins over two Top 20 players, Daria Kasatkina and Jessica Pegula.
In the finals, Swiatek left it all on the court, setting the tone early and claiming the first four games of the opening set. Swiatek did face some adversity in the second set, as she appeared a little hesitant, allowing Gauff to claim the first two games. But, after re-adjusting her form, the world No. 1 was able to regain her rhythm and won six of the next seven games, defeating Gauff 6-1, 6-3 to clinch the French Open crown.
After the on-court celebrations came to an end Swiatek spoke about being more aware about what it takes to win a Grand Slam. “With that awareness, I was even more happy and even more proud of myself, because in 2020 it was all, I just felt that I’m lucky, you know. This time I felt like I really did the work.”
Swiatek is in great shape heading into the grass-court season. If she is to continue her red-hot streak, she will have the opportunity to have the most wins in a row by a women’s tennis player in history. As well as the possibility of being the first Polish player to win the Wimbledon title since Agnieszka Radwańska in 2012.
