From 6-1, 2-0 down, Swiatek escapes Rybakina at Roland Garros
The first eight games of Iga Swiatek's fourth-round match against Elena Rybakina were unlike anything we've seen at Roland Garros in recent years.
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek looked out of sorts on Court Philippe-Chatrier -- the same stage where she’s won the trophy each of the past three years. But on Sunday, she was a long way from that level, piling up 27 unforced errors in the first nine games and quickly falling behind to Rybakina, 6-1, 2-0.
But Swiatek was not about to let her 24-match winning streak in Paris end without a fight. A missed smash by No. 12 seed Rybakina on break point pulled Swiatek level -- and a comeback effort by the former World No. 1 was on the cards.
It required a titanic struggle in the third set, but by the end of 2 hours and 30 minutes, Swiatek was a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victor -- her 25th straight match won at the French Open.
"It means a lot," Swiatek said in postmatch press. "I think I needed that kind of win to feel these feelings that I'm able to win under pressure, and even if it's not going the right way, you know, still turn the match around to win it.
"For sure it's a great confirmation for me. ... Obviously it's great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it's not always going to be possible. I'm happy that I fought, and I also problem-solved on court."
Svitolina next up: No. 5 seed Swiatek will now take on No. 13 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the quarterfinals. Svitolina toppled last year's runner-up to Swiatek, Jasmine Paolini, earlier on Sunday, saving three match points in the process.
Swiatek leads their head-to-head 3-1. Svitolina ousted Swiatek at 2023 Wimbledon, but Swiatek won their other three meetings, including their only previous encounter on clay at 2021 Rome.
Swiatek stays stellar: Swiatek has seen her ranking slip from No. 1 to No. 5 over the past year, and she has not won a title since her championship here last year. This is the first year since 2020 that Swiatek has entered her best event without having won a title.
But she held off former Wimbledon champion Rybakina -- a player who, amazingly, had beaten Swiatek in both of their previous clay-court meetings. This time, Swiatek solved the puzzle, and she is now an incredible 39-2 at this event.
Third-set thrills: Swiatek posted a heroic effort to level the match at one set apiece, but any momentum she might have continued was counteracted by Rybakina, who used a huge rally backhand to literally knock the racquet out of Swiatek’s hands in a hold for 3-2.
The pair exchanged breaks through 4-4, and Swiatek seemed to break in the next game after a Rybakina double fault down break point. The call, however, was overturned, and the Kazakh eventually held on in that game to put herself a game away from snapping Swiatek’s streak.
The four-time champion, though, was not fazed. She threw down a thunderous love hold to reach 5-5, then got back in the lead after breaking Rybakina once again. Serving for the victory at 6-5, Swiatek’s forehand peaked when she needed it most, finding fiery shots from that wing to close out the grueling tussle.
"I haven't noticed that I made so many winners from my forehand, but for sure, I know it's a weapon," Swiatek said. "I like it on clay. ... It's a shot that I use to kind of lead in the points, so I'm glad it worked."