Iga Swiatek extends winning streak to reach second Roland Garros final
World number one Iga Swiatek routed Daria Kasatkina on Thursday afternoon to book her spot in the Roland Garros final.
The Pole had all the answers during the semifinal clash, overpowering her lower-ranked opponent 6-2, 6-1 in just an hour and 4 minutes.
Swiatek’s victory was defined by her consistent aggression, hitting more than twice the number of winners as her opponent and just 13 unforced errors to Kasatkina’s 24.
The world number one was on a 33 match winning streak coming into the encounter, having not lost a match since Jelena Ostapenko beat her in the 2nd round of the Dubai Open in February.
Since then, Swiatek has accumulated titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Rome, cementing her status as the undisputed world number one and favourite for the French Open crown.
Kasatkina, a former quarterfinalist in Paris, had never reached a grand slam semifinal before, and had lost all three of her previous encounters against Swiatek in 2022.
The start of the match was relatively competitive, with both players exchanging blows in lengthy baseline exchanges.
But it was Swiatek who took the early lead, breaking the Russian in her opening service game of the match.
And despite breaking back immediately, Kasatkina struggled to deal with the power Swiatek was able to produce from the back of the court, dropping the first set 6-2.
It was a similar story in the second set, with the ferocity of Swiatek’s shots continuing to pin Kasatkina deep behind her baseline.
From 1-1 in the set the world number one was able to secure a double break and served out the match with an ace to reach her second French Open final.
The Pole had previously won the title at the Covid-delayed championships in October 2020.
Speaking after the match, Swiatek said: “I was trying to be really focused on the task so that I could start [the match] being proactive. It’s a pretty special moment and I’m really emotional.”
Swiatek will now play against the winner of the second semifinal between 18-year-old Coco Gauff and Italian Martina Trevisan in the Roland Garros championship match on Saturday.
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