Swiatek says not unbeatable at French Open after winning start

New Straits Times

26-05-2025

PARIS: Iga Swiatek said last year's Olympic loss proved she is not unbeatable at Roland Garros, as she launched her bid for a fourth straight title today with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova.
Swiatek extended her winning run at the French Open to 22 matches, but she has dropped to fifth in the world after a year-long trophy drought and has looked unusually vulnerable on clay lately.
The 23-year-old has yet to reach a final this season and is no longer the overwhelming favourite at a tournament she has dominated since capturing the trophy for the first time as a teenager in 2020.
Asked whether stepping onto the main Phillipe Chatrier court filled her the same sense of invincibility as it did for Rafael Nadal, Swiatek pointed to her straight-sets defeat by Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"No, I mean, I literally lost a match in the Olympics, so it's not like you can't lose," she said.
"But for sure I feel a lot of good energy, and I feel like I'm ready to fight.
"I am willing to fight, and it's great to be pumped up before the match because of that, so I'm using it, for sure."
The Pole, who has lost only once in the first round in 25 Grand Slam appearances, broke for a 4-3 lead against Sramkova after a lengthy seventh game, and then again to wrap up the opening set.
She fell 2-0 behind to start the second but got back on serve before securing another break to see off the 42nd-ranked Sramkova in straight sets for the second Grand Slam in a row.
"It wasn't an easy match especially because she played with a lot of freedom and I felt like she was going for her shots, especially the forehands down the line," said Swiatek, who also beat Sramkova in the second round of this year's Australian Open.
"I knew I needed to stay proactive and try to create and use my weapons and that's what I did."
Swiatek, a four-time French Open winner whose record in Paris now stands at 36-2, advances to a clash of past US Open champions, with Britain's Emma Raducanu her opponent in the second round.
Raducanu overcame China's Wang Xinyu in three sets in her first match at the French Open since her debut in 2022.
"We played already couple of times, and we know each other's game," said Swiatek, who dropped just one game against Raducanu in the third round in Melbourne in January.
"For sure I will need to be intense and focus on myself. Yeah, but for sure, you know, she won the US Open. She can play great tennis, you know. I'll be ready." - AFP