Iga Swiatek’s Roland Garros Victory over Naomi – 10 Key Takeaways
Iga Swiatek prevailed against Naomi Osaka on Wednesday in an intense second-round encounter at Roland Garros.
Overcoming a 5-2 deficit in the third set and a 5-3 match point deficit to win 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 against her fellow four-time Grand Slam champion. The world number one accomplished many things in her most recent triumph, including winning streaks, match point savings, and much more.
She’s never won a match at Roland Garros by saving a match point before. She was also two points away from losing with scores of 5-2 and 5-4 in addition to saving that match point down 5-3.
At Grand Slams, she is currently 20-0 versus players who are not in the Top 100. Osaka isn’t your normal non-Top 100 player, but she’s still ranked No. 134 as she makes her way back up.
She has now won 32 straight games against opponents who are not in the Top 100. Her most recent defeat by a player outside of the Top 100 occurred in Miami in 2021 against Ana Konjuh, ranked No. 338. The closest team to breaking that flawless record was Osaka.
Additionally, she remains the only tennis player of either gender to have advanced to the third round or higher in each and every Grand Slam competition this decade. Starting with the 2020 Australian Open, that’s all 17. If Novak Djokovic hadn’t missed the two hard-court majors in 2022, he most likely would have done it on the men’s side.
It was her 40th victory of the year when she defeated Osaka. That surpasses the total number of men and women this year.
Also Read: Iga Swiatek’s Dominating Victory over Aryna Sabalenka in Rome 2024
She had also won at Roland Garros 30 times in her career. With her two losses being to Simona Halep in the 2019 fourth round and to Maria Sakkari in the 2021 quarterfinals, she is currently 30-2 in Paris.
She has now won 14 straight matches on the tour. She won the WTA 1000 lead-up titles in Madrid and Rome with a 12-0 record, and she is 2-0 at Roland Garros thus far.
At Roland Garros, she has now won 16 straight games. She won the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen with a 14-0 record the previous two years, and this year she is 2-0 on the terre battue.
Lastly, in the Open Era, she is the third-youngest woman to have won so many times at Roland Garros. When they achieved 16 victories in a straight here, only Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were younger. As Swiatek continues to rewrite the record books, her legacy at Roland Garros grows stronger with each remarkable victory.
How Swiatek Edge Past Naomi
Osaka had a dismal start to the match, but after being broken in the opening game, she managed to level the score at 4–4 and force Swiatek to serve for a set point.
After Swiatek avoided that situation, Osaka’s chances of winning the match improved when she won a one-sided tie-break.
However, the US Open champion of 2021 started to swing, and Swiatek started to falter.
Swiatek had dominated the competition so much that in her five years at Roland Garros, she has only lost seven sets.
However, she occasionally watched in disbelief as Osaka crushed winner after winner—hitting 54 total—to tie the match.
Osaka struck an incredible five winners in one game in the decider, even standing and appreciating the backhand that fizzed past Swiatek to secure another break.
Osaka had a match point on her racquet, but Swiatek repelled it with a nice return. The Polish player, 22, was able to break back with a forehand into an open court that sailed millimeters too long.
Both players were under a lot of strain, as evidenced by Swiatek scolding a bystander for raising their voice during a point. However, Osaka tightened up considerably and double-failed Swiatek, who was down 5-2, to serve for the match. This brought an incredible duel to a close when Osaka’s backhand sailed wide.
Not wanting to lose any more ground on the crowd’s yell, Swiatek apologized to them for bringing it up. I know we are playing for you, and I have the utmost respect for you all. This is amusement.
“But sometimes under a lot of pressure when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused.”
After the match, Osaka broke down in tears, but she was inspired by her own growth and even challenged her rival amiably on the US Open, which she had won in 2018 and 2020, and the American hardcourt circuit. “I cried when I got off the court, and then I remembered that last year, when I was pregnant, I watched Iga win this tournament,” the woman stated.
“After giving it some thought, I believe I’m not doing too badly. Playing her on my surface and watching what transpires would be my dream.”In Australia, I also mentioned that I’m preparing for September nevertheless.”
