‘I’ve missed you Paris!’ – Iga Swiatek feeling the love at Roland Garros
Iga Swiatek has laid out her title-winning credentials at Roland Garros by ousting her first round opponent in under an hour.
The world number one defeated Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-0 under the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof to get her Paris campaign underway.
Despite the gloomy weather in the French capital today, Swiatek was happy to get going at the second Slam of the year.
She told Mats Wilander in her post-match interview: “I love playing here even though the last couple of days have been rainy and pretty dark.
“Paris has this vibe, so I really enjoy playing here.”
The victory is a 29th consecutively for the 20-year-old, stretching back to the Dubai Open in February.
Wilander joked that it seems she cannot lose.
Swiatek responded; “I’m pretty sure that I can.
“I’m aware some day my streak may stop.
“So I’m just working everyday to be 100% focused on my tennis.”
She then finished her time on Court Philippe-Chatrier with a message to the French capital.
She signed the camera lens: “Hello Paris! I’ve missed you,” before adding a heart.
The Pole is now 14-2 in Paris across four appearances, only losing to Simona Halep in the fourth round in 2019 and Maria Sakkari in the quarter-finals last year either side of her 2020 triumph.
The feeling is mutual ?#RolandGarros | @iga_swiatek pic.twitter.com/MKYElDpXsx
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 23, 2022
Swiatek now awaits the victor of Alison Riske and another Ukrainian in 22-year-old Dayana Yastremska.
She holds a 2-0 and 0-1 win-loss record against Riske and Yastremska respectively.
Those wins over Riske both came on clay last year.
In 2019, Yastremska beat Swiatek in their only meeting in a Fed Cup match on hard courts.
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