Rare battle for Świątek

New York Times

2 days ago

Follow live coverage of the fourth round at Roland Garros with U.S. stars Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe aiming to join Tommy Paul in the quarters Getty Images
The fourth round of the 2025 French Open is in full swing as several American stars aim for the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in Paris.
Ben Shelton (13) trails Carlos Alcaraz (2), looking to join Tommy Paul (12) in the quarters, with Frances Tiafoe (15) leading Daniel Altmaier.
It's Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Zheng Qinwen (8) and Iga Świątek (5) vs. Elina Svitolina (13) in the women's singles last eight after wins today. Watch: TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel, Max (U.S.); TNT (UK)
TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel, Max (U.S.); TNT (UK) Join the discussion at: [e-mail]
GO FURTHER
Tennis on clay courts: The unpredictable dance of sun, rain, wind and brick dust at Roland Garros Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images
A problem Swiatek has had at Roland Garros, from a watchability perspective, is that she's tended to win so easily that her matches have lacked entertainment value.
That's what made the start of this set and that game at 2-2 in particular so compelling.
The rarity of seeing Świątek having to dig so deep and find a way to turn the tide.
In the first set, Świątek was defending the balls she was running down — not that there were very many — using topspin and lobs.
It wasn't really working, with her shots either flying long or giving Rybakina an easy ball to put away.
This set, she's started sliding into defensive positions with a continental grip, hitting a short slice, especially on the forehand, to get the ball low on Rybakina and make her hit up, rather than flat or down.
It's drawn a couple more errors than the first plan. Getty Images
Świątek went on a run of 11 straight points there, and has now won 12 of the last 13.
Five games in a row for the defending champion, from 0-2 to 5-2.
Four fixtures today.
One is yet to be decided, with three match line-ups certain: Taylor Townsend/Evan King (4) vs. Estelle Cascino/Geoffrey Blancaneaux
Christian Harrison/Nicole Melichar-Martinez vs. Laura Siegemund/Édouard Roger-Vasselin
Robert Galloway/Jiang Xinyu vs. Andrea Vavassori/Sara Errani Getty Images
Iga Świątek surfs into a forehand passing shot down the line like she's catching a wave and breaks Rybakina to love.
This match has turned on that missed volley from Rybakina and Świątek's feet are squeaking across the clay like only hers can.
Rybakina 6-1, 2-4* Świątek
All the momentum and confidence seems to have drained out of Elena Rybakina and into Iga Świątek.
Four games in a row, two breaks in a row for Świątek, who can now serve to make it 5-2 in the second set!
How costly will that missed volley prove to be for the 12th seed?
Huge couple of games there, both going Świątek's way.
After benefitting from that Rybakina missed volley, the defending champion eventually holds for 3-2 that also saw her serve three double faults when up game point. It really was an extraordinary sequence.
But she got through it, and is ahead in a set for the first time today. Getty Images
Rybakina 6-1, *2-3 Świątek
Thrice Świątek has game point with an advantage, thrice she has double-faulted.
She obviously wants to put some pace on her second serves rather than just putting slow balls into Rybakina's side which she will almost certainly smack away, but still.
Finally, a good serve at deuce, and she powers the ball away for a winner as if it has insulted her personally. Rybakina now, looking to make that profligacy count, advantage and a mini-fist-pump to her box.
Ordinary shot into the net, another deuce. This game going on for 10 minutes or so now! And Rybakina hangs her head as she misses a very makeable backhand into open court to her left, shunting it wide.
A big first serve from Świątek, return netted, and that is a big hold for the Pole.
Świątek gets the dip.
First, a few cheap errors give her a second break point in the fourth game of the set.
Rybakina takes control of the point and draws a weak lob from the four-time champion, but it's so weak that Rybakina doesn't look sure of what to do with it and the ball ends up in the net.
Huge service game for Świątek now, who needs to consolidate this break. Getty Images
Two games all in the second set! At break point Elena Rybakina was in total control of the point, could and probably should have smashed it away at the net to go back to deuce.
Then a floaty, loopy return, Rybakina poised for the simple overhand winner. No! She mistimed it horribly, jumping too early, her shot going almost instantly downwards at an acute angle to land in the net.
How has she missed that? Świątek break and we are back level. A momentum-shifting point?
Rybakina 6-1, 2-1* Świątek
Rybakina looks fallible, human, for the first time in this match after a couple of errors. 30-40 and Świątek's first break point opportunity of the entire match (Rybakina has had six).
Massive ace and the chance is gone. But the Kazakh nets and another break point... Getty Images
Zheng Qinwen (8)'s match with Liudmila Samsonova (19) went to a first-set tiebreak, and the Chinese player took it 7-5.
Close match so far.
Zheng loves these courts, having won Olympic gold in last summer's Olympic Games. Getty Images
Rybakina's level is about as high as it gets right now.
Unless she drastically raises her own, Świątek will need her opponent to have a dip to stay in this match.
Rybakina 6-1 *2-1 Świątek
Rybakina takes the first two games of the set, eight games to one so far in this match, before an important hold for Świątek.
The defending champion needs to find something if she wants to triumph in Paris again. Getty Images
Following on from Matt, Świątek acknowledged this week that in her humbling defeats in Madrid and Rome to Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins respectively there were times when she stopped running for balls.
It happened here in the final game of that first set too, as Rybakina sent yet another backhand fizzing past her.
Świątek, who spent some time off the court after the end of the set, needs to lift herself to avoid a first Roland Garros defeat since 2021.
Always struck incidentally when seeing Rybakina in person how cleanly she strikes a ball. A joy to watch when she's playing like this. Getty Images
When Iga Świątek was knocked out of the Madrid Open by Coco Gauff earlier this month, footwork was the issue.
Her defensive footwork and general movement, which is close to peerless and one of her greatest strengths, was absent.
It seemed stiff and stilted throughout the afternoon in a way that it rarely does on clay.
Usually, she glides across the court with a lethal combination of ease and speed, sliding into shots but never through them, then hustling back into position and jumping on the first chance to end the point.
As James just pointed out, not so today either.
GO FURTHER
Coco Gauff cruises past Iga Swiatek to reach Madrid Open final for first time
The hoary cliché says that the eyes are the window to the soul.
For Iga Świątek, it's her feet.
Elena Rybakina is serving consistently and creating a lot of power behind her second shot, but the most striking sight as she leads the four-time champion 6-1 is that Świątek's feet look stuck in the mud.
Her elegant, fluid movement is so foundational to her game that when it's absent, it's very obvious and kind of a disaster. Getty Images
Rybakina 6-1 Świątek
And she does wrap up the set in double-quick time, 34 minutes and done. Not quite a bagel, but still pretty damning for Świątek.
Rybakina led at 40-15, double faulted, then Świątek smashed a return home for deuce.
Skidding low shot inches over the net, Świątek nets, then a booming ace.
Rybakina *5-1 Świątek
Elena Rybakina continues this game like she has all of them in this match so far, dismantling Świątek with a brutal display of relentless and accurate ball-striking.
The crowd sing 'Let's go Iga, let's go' but Rybakina goes 15-40 up, two set points. Pulls it wide, 30-40... and then long, deuce! Can Świątek salvage a game?
Big ace for advantage, no! The umpire sees it was wide. Another advantage, back to deuce, rinse and repeat and the game is now more than seven minutes long.
Świątek swishes her racket in frustration after going long again. But she holds for 5-1. Rybakina still a double break up and serving for the set.