Iga Swiatek set for toughest test yet amid quest for history

Nobody said it would be easy, but Iga Swiatek's path to a fourth consecutive French Open title has presented her biggest obstacle yet.

After facing a gauntlet of formidable opponents — Emma Raducanu, Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina — the Pole will now need to defeat World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal on Thursday.

And if she can survive the Belarusian, she will likely face either Coco Gauff or teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva in Saturday's final. 

Much of Swiatek's challenging path was her own doing. The five-time champion arrived at Roland Garros in poor form, suffering a third-round exit at Rome and a straight-sets loss to Gauff at Madrid. As a result, she fell to World No. 5, her lowest ranking in over three years, leading to her being seeded in the same draw as Sabalenka.

In many ways, the path has helped Swiatek regain her mojo. After losing the first set to Rybakina in a breeze, and then going down 2-0, she had to dig deep and find the mettle that made her the Queen of Clay. That grit carried over into Tuesday's quarterfinal against Svitolina, whom she overcame in 1 hour and 41 minutes with a 6-1, 7-5 victory.  

Swiatek leads Sabalenka 8-4 in their career head-to-head, including 5-1 on clay, but she knows better than to underestimate her opponent. In what will be their maiden clash at Roland Garros, Swiatek expects a tough fight.

"For sure our rivalry is pushing both of us, I think, but it's not only about the level of tennis," she said, via WTAtennis.com. "It's about like everything, how we work, and how professional we are."

Two wins from history

Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman in the Open Era to win four consecutive French Open titles. Monica Seles (1990–92) and Justine Henin (2005–07) are the only other women to have won three straight. The Pole would already hold the record were it not for her quarterfinal loss to Maria Sakkari in 2021. She won her first French Open title in 2020 as a teenager ranked World No. 54. 

Her 26th consecutive win at Roland Garros on Tuesday allowed her to equal the great Serena Williams' record (U.S. Open) for the longest win streak at a major. She also became the second-fastest player, male or female, to notch 40 wins at Roland Garros, just one shy of Rafael Nadal.