Aryna Sabalenka reaches first final at Roland Garros with victory over four-time champion Iga Swiatek

CNN

2 days ago

For the first time in four years, Iga Świątek has tasted defeat at Roland Garros.
The three-time defending champion was dethroned by Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of this year's French Open, with the world No. 1 triumphing 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 in a high-quality display.
For Sabalenka, it sets up her first final at the clay court grand slam, where she will face either American Coco Gauff or French wild card Lois Boisson, who is enjoying a fairytale run in Paris this fortnight.
Świątek was on a 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros prior to Thursday's semifinal – the second-longest in women's singles in the Open Era – but faced a tall task against a high-flying Sabalenka.
In an absorbing contest, both women played aggressive tennis in a bid to gain the upper hand in a close first set. Sabalenka looked to have done that when she broke Świątek twice for a 4-1 lead, only for the Polish star to fight back. A double fault from Sabalenka made it 4-4 before Świątek took a lead for the first time in the match the following game.
There were eight breaks of serve over the course of the one-hour, 10-minute opening set, which was ultimately decided in a tie-break dominated by Sabalenka.
The second set continued in a similar vein to the first, with three breaks of serve in the first three games. Świątek got what proved to be the crucial edge for a 3-1 lead and was able to see out the set from there to become the first person to take a set off Sabalenka this tournament.
In the deciding set, however, the Belarusian took the brakes off, dismantling Świątek's challenge in just 22 minutes without making an unforced error. By the end of the match, she had hit 29 winners – the same number as Świątek – while converting an impressive eight of her 10 break points.
With the victory, Sabalenka has now won all of her past five grand slam semifinals and will look to win a fourth major title in Saturday's showpiece.
'It was tricky conditions, I have to say,' she told TNT Sports after the match. 'It was tricky to serve with the roof closed. It was different compared to the previous matches, but I'm glad that both of us adjusted pretty well and we were able to show such a high-level match.'
Sabalenka, who was defeated by American Madison Keys in the Australian Open final in January, has been the standout player in women's tennis in 2025 with three titles to her name.
The year so far has been less kind to Świątek. Having spent so long at the top of the rankings throughout her career, she has dropped to No. 5 in the world and is yet to win a title this season.
And after winning four of the past five titles at Roland Garros, the tournament will crown a first-time women's champion on Saturday.