Four-time champion Iga Swiatek launches French Open bid with record in sight
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 26, 2025 Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in action during her first round match against Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 26, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during her first round match against Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 26, 2025 Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in action during her first round match against Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Poland's Iga Swiatek in action during her 6-3, 6-3 first-round win over Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova at Roland Garros on May 26, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS
PARIS – Defending champion Iga Swiatek said she was inspired by an emotional tribute to the 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal after she cruised past Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3 and into the second round of the French Open on May 26, launching her quest for a record fourth straight women's title.
The Pole, a four-time champion who is now on a 22-match winning run in Paris having won the last three titles, is looking to become the first female player to win four straight French Open crowns in the professional era since 1968.
She arrived more than 10 days before the tournament to get sufficient training on the clay courts and she said it has so far paid off.
'It was the first time we had this situation (of arriving early),' Swiatek said in a post-match interview. 'But I liked it. I knew I am going to have the best courts to practice on.'
'It was not an easy match. She played with a lot of freedom. So I knew I need to stay proactive and try to create and use my weapons.'
The 23-year-old may have dropped to world No. 5 but her record on clay means if anyone is to inherit the mantle of the retired Nadal, it is likely to be the four-time French Open champion.
On May 25, Roland Garros held an emotional tribute to the 14-time French Open winner Nadal's career on the opening day of the tournament, six months after he hung up his racket.
Swiatek was seen tearing up during the proceedings.
She said: 'I tried to keep it together. I knew the cameras were on Carlos (Alcaraz) behind me, so I needed to be brave, but seeing Rafa crying makes me more emotional. It's nice he shows emotions that way, it's nice he shows he's human.
'I really liked what Roland Garros did, especially the footprint. I think it's going to stay here forever and Rafa deserves it. It's great the tennis world could show their appreciation and tell Rafa we are really thankful for everything did.
'He is a huge inspiration. Even when he's not playing, even him being here yesterday inspired me a lot. Thanks Rafa.'
On May 26, Swiatek, unusually without a title on the tour so far this season, needed some time to find her footing, with the Slovak initially offering greater resistance than in her 6-0, 6-2 loss to Swiatek at the Australian Open in January.
Sramkova held serve until Swiatek broke her to go 4-3 up and bag the first set a little later.
The 28-year-old world No. 42 broke Swiatek at the start of the second set to open up a 2-0 lead but her opponent quickly reined her in with two breaks of her own, winning six of the next seven games to wrap up her win after an hour and 24 minutes.
She next faces Britain's former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, whom Swiatek has a 4-0 head-to-head record against.
Raducanu made a winning return to Roland Garros on May 26 as she beat Wang Xinyu in three sets. The 22-year-old Briton overcame her Chinese opponent 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in her first appearance at the French Open since 2022.
Said Raducanu: 'I'm very happy to give myself another chance. I felt the noise around the match (against Swiatek) before we'd played the first round. I'm looking forward to going out there.
'There's not much pressure on me going out there, I think my game is in a great place, so it's a great challenge.'
Meanwhile, former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina battled past Argentinian qualifier Julia Riera 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, two days after lifting her first WTA title since April 2024 in Strasbourg. The Kazakh will next face American Iva Jovic.
The first top 10 seed to was ninth seed Emma Navarro of the United States, who was humbled 6-0, 6-1 by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. She will next face another American in Robin Montgomery. REUTERS, AFP
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