PARIS (AP) - Iga Swiatek gave up eight of his first nine matches against No. 12-seed Elena Rybakina in the fourth round, turning the situation around in the fourth round, making up for his bid with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory to win a record fourth in the fourth title French Open Championship.
The big service and hard work Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022 - leading 5-0 in less than 20 minutes and scored 24 of her initial 32 points. She is in charge of 10 of the top 12 winners in the competition.
advertise
“I need to do something to get back into the game, and honestly, with a game like her, I don’t have a lot of hope,” Swiatek said later.
Earlier in the second set, Rybakina took a break - Swiatek finished the first game with a double match, then raised his hand to say something and led her team 2-0.
However, it's something Swiatek suddenly transforms into something that's happening in recent seasons, but hasn't been in the last 12 months: a seemingly invincible force against Red Clay, who won four of the last five titles at the French Open, and her career now has won 39-2 with a 39-2 record.
She brought her 24-game winning streak to Sunday and had the opportunity to be the first woman in the open era that began in 1968, winning the Roland-Garros trophy for four consecutive years.
advertise
Philippe-Chhatrier was surely dangerous in the beginning, where Swiatek had a hard time dealing with Rybakina's power and was repeatedly forced into error. Given the hardships of Swiatek, a 23-year-old from Poland since June 2024, maybe her Sunday loss isn't shocking.
After all, Swiatek has not reached the finals of any competition since winning the trophy in Paris a year ago and has slipped from No. 1 to No. 5 in the WTA rankings.
That rut includes an unexpected exit in the semifinals of the 2024 Summer Olympics, which competes in Roland-Garros. She ended up winning the bronze medal. Then, later last season, she was banned for a total of one month after testing positive for the banned substance. Her explanation was believed to be unintentional and caused by contaminated drugs.
In the quarterfinals, Swiatek will play No. 13 Elina Svitolina. Svitolina is a three-time major semi-finalist, but was 0-4 in the previous French Open quarterfinals.
advertise
Svitolina saved three points earlier Sunday to surpass 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1. All the top eight women's seeds entered the fourth round. The fourth Paolini is the first to quit.
Swiatek was almost next, but she had a nervous victory.
___
Howard Fendrich has been an Associated Press tennis writer since 2002. Find his story here: More AP Tennis: