Iga Swiatek finds her mojo as she digs in and stages thrilling comeback to beat Elena Rybakina and avoid punishing French Open knockout
A euro for the thoughts of tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, who runs her prime-time night sessions like a snooty Pall Mall gentleman's club, after four superb women's matches at the French Open.
Aryna Sabalenka 's tight straight-sets win over Amanda Anisimova, Zheng Qinwen's three-set victory against Liudmila Samsonova, Elina Svitolina 's Houdini act from a set and 4-1 down to Jasmine Paolini - any of these would have graced Philippe Chatrier under the lights.
But the match of the day was Iga Swiatek against Elena Rybakina. The four-time champion Swiatek, so wobbly this year, so vulnerable to sustained aggression, lost eight of the first nine games. At 6-1, 2-0, former Wimbledon champion Rybakina was in sublime form.
So close to another humiliating defeat, the real Swiatek emerged and said: Not this time. The No 5 seed dug in and after two sets of sensational ball-striking back and forth, prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
'It means a lot,' said the Pole, 24. 'I needed that kind of win to feel I'm able to win under pressure, even if it's not going the right way. It's a great confirmation. I'm happy that I fought and problem-solved.'
Swiatek has been doing neither of those things recently, and if she goes on to deliver a fourth title in a row here and relocate her mojo, this match can be chalked up as the turning point.
Kudos, too, to her coach Wim Fissette, whose excellent resume has not been improved by presiding over her decline. Swiatek began to stand further back to return Rybakina's serve and that gave her the breathing room she needed.
'Wim convinced me to try it out,' said Swiatek. 'I wasn't sure if that's my thing, because a few years back when I started being more aggressive, I started winning more.
'But girls are serving faster now, there are limits to what you can react to. The coaching really helped me today; I wouldn't come up with this myself.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
World No1 Aryna Sabalenka calls for 'equal treatment' in scheduling as French Open sexism row rolls on - with NO women's matches featuring in prime time night slot
World No1 Aryna Sabalenka has voiced her discontent with the scheduling of her quarter-final clash with Zheng Qinwen amid a roiling sexism row at this year's French Open. The controversy is not new to the tournament, who have come under fire since the inception of the night session for failing to adequately schedule women's matches in the prime-time slot. Former Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur decried the lack of visibility given to women's tennis, hinting that tournament organisers were 'ignoring' the greatness of the game with the unequal billing. The world No36's well-crafted missive was shared on the heels of the head of the French tennis federation Gilles Moretton claiming that the tournament needed 'better matches' at night. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo was similarly unwilling to criticise the schedule, refusing to answer a number of questions on the subject during a tense meeting with the media last week. But while many female players on the tour have been reticent to share their views beyond personal preferences against playing in the night session, Sabalenka was keen to allow people greater opportunities to watch women's tennis. After her straight-sets victory to Zheng, Sabalenka was first questioned over the half-empty stadium, with many of the lower tiers - typically more expensive or hospitality seats - unoccupied. While Sabalenka insisted that she didn't focus on the crowd, she did agree that the lunch time scheduling was not befitting of match between the best player in the world and the Olympic champion in Zheng. 'It was a big match, and probably (it) would have made more sense to put us a little bit later just so more people could watch it,' Sabalenka said. 'At the same time, I'm happy to finish earlier and then I have a half day off and I can just enjoy the city and do all the things that I have to do. (But) talking about that, I definitely think that would make more sense to move our match a little bit later.' On the subject of the night sessions not making it seem as if men and women's matches were treated equally, she was more forthright, continuing: 'I definitely agree with that, and I definitely have to say, we deserve the equal treatment. 'There was a lot of great battles, a lot of great matches (on the women's side) which would be cool to see as a night session, just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles. And just to show ourselves to more people. So I definitely agree that we deserve to be put in a bigger stage, you know, like better timing, more people watching.' Earlier in the tournament, US number one Jessica Pegula was similarly outspoken when she claimed that the treatment women players received at the Grand Slam made her feel like 'hitting her head against a wall'. Jessica Pegula said that receiving unequal treatment in Paris made her feel like she was 'hitting her head against the wall' 'Every year it's the same thing. It's never equal,' Pegula said on Saturday. 'We are an event that is supposed to be equal. Why not give us some more chances to be? 'It feels like just hitting my head against the wall because I feel like we have been talking about this for two, three, four (years) - probably forever, to be honest, because it's never been equal.' Mauresmo said in her charged press conference on Friday that 'the message has never been the girls are not worthy of playing at night'. But both of the women's quarter-finals scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday have been the two first matches on Court Philippe-Chatrier, with men's matches played as the last of the day sessions, and the prime-time night session. Should the tournament wish to break its duck in the semi-finals, the powers that be have a gift in the form of Sabalenka's next match-up. The three-time Grand Slam title-holder is set to play defending champion and four-time Roland-Garros winner Iga Swiatek in just their second-ever Grand Slam meeting.
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Naomi Campbell claims she has been 'misunderstood' by the public and reveals the lessons she wants to pass down to her children as she poses for striking cover shoot
Naomi Campbell insisted she has been 'misunderstood' by the public as she posed for a striking cover shoot with Dazed magazine. The model, 46, is as well known for her diva attitude as she is for striking good looks, but claimed that as a Gemini star sign, there are 'two sides' to her, mainly through exhibiting introverted and extroverted behaviour. She mused: 'That's where Geminis are misunderstood, but we are the ultimate communicators and connectors... 'I can't please everybody. All that I do is transparent, and I am very loyal to the people I love. I care about the people I love. I value my long relationships. 'In friendships, I don't have time for the word "frivolous". I don't associate with that word, it's not who I am. When I care, I care… but don't mistake my kindness for weakness.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Talk also turned to the lessons that she was hoping to impart on her children. The supermodel shocked the world when she announced the surprise birth of her daughter in 2021, followed by a son in 2023, both of whose names the catwalk queen has not made public. Discussing her parenting approach, she mused: 'I want to pass on the inner strength, the discipline. Pass on the things that were shared with me from my grandmother, my aunts and my mother. The most important thing for me is for my kids to be happy.' She added that she felt 'blessed' to be able to travel and see the world with her children like she had down with her own mother. Alongside the interview, Naomi posed for a striking photoshoot that saw her model an array of skimpy ensembles. She transformed into a butterfly for the cover snap, posing in a skintight mini dress and boasting large yellow wings. Naomi wore beads in her long dark hair for the shoot, while flashing her toned legs in a ruffled yellow gown. Another stunning snap saw her pose braless beneath a beaded mesh dress. Naomi wore beads in her long dark hair for the shoot, while flashing her toned legs in a ruffled yellow gown Naomi confirmed last year that she welcomed both her children via surrogate after becoming a mother for the first time in 2021 aged 50 and posed with the newborn on the cover of Vogue. She previously admitted that her daughter wasn't adopted before clarifying that she hadn't been pregnant herself as she discussed how much her children mean to her. Telling The Times: 'My babies are everything to me. It's made me fear for the future.' Naomi went on to explain that she was never looking for a father for her kids and is happy being 'a single mother of a single mum'. When asked whether she used a surrogate she replied: 'I did. I hope for a better world for my children. They are 110 per cent my priority. I have to be there for them on their first day at school.' Her daughter's arrival sparked widespread speculation that she used a surrogate, a popular approach among older celebrity mothers, because she was not spotted with an obvious baby bump in the months leading up to the birth. Naomi also spoke of her concern that younger generations are not interested in having children and she insisted parenthood is always 'worth it', no matter how difficult the circumstances. She said: 'I have heard a lot of young girls saying that it is too expensive to have children and they may not want them, and I have said, "You will change your mind. You will want to be a mum"'. 'I understand economically it is tough. But my mum had nothing and she made it work. It's worth it. It is so amazing'. She continued: 'We have to depend on the younger generation to change this world. I trust my children more than us to do the right thing.' Elsewhere in the interview, she revealed that she won't let her daughter go into the world of work at 15 like she did, after starting her own career in her teenage years when she did her first cover shoot. The beauty, who was whisked abroad to model in her first photoshoot for Elle in New Orleans aged 15, said she would be uncomfortable with her now three-year-old to start working so young. The mother-of-two said: 'I'm not sure I would let her start working at 15. It's a ruthless world.'
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A bright yellow minibus, a force 9 gale in the Baltic and a gang of heavies with Kalashnikovs: how MI6 extracted a KGB colonel and double agent from under the Russians' noses - with his wife, son and senile mother-in-law in tow
Even with decades of experience between them, the two middle-aged spies were on edge. They were about to attempt something that had never been done before in the history of MI6. Instead of smuggling out one Russian spy to a new life in Britain – the more usual scenario – they were going to extract an entire family.
