Iga Swiatek handed an early check in a bid for a fourth French Open title in 5 years, saving a match level en path to beating fellow four-time main champion Naomi Osaka.
Swiatek prevailed 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 to achieve the third spherical at Roland Garros, the place rain worn out a lot of scheduled play on outer courts on Wednesday.
Osaka, who returned to competitors in January after July 2023 childbirth, led 5-2 within the third set and had a match level on serve at 5-3 earlier than Swiatek gained three consecutive factors to interrupt.
“I felt for a lot of the match that I wasn’t actually right here and now,” Swiatek mentioned in an on-court interview. “My thoughts was enjoying round generally. After I was actually beneath this largest stress, I used to be capable of truly focus extra and play higher and actually not take into consideration what the rating is or that I’m actually near dropping.”
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The match was the primary at any event between two girls with 4 main titles because the final time Venus and Serena Williams met in August 2020.
Swiatek, the world’s top-ranked participant for a lot of the final two years, had gained 13 consecutive matches going into Wednesday, plus 15 consecutive French Open matches since her final defeat in 2021.
At 22, she is bidding to change into the youngest lady within the skilled period (since 1968) to win 4 French Open titles.
The opposite three seeds in Swiatek’s part of the draw have all misplaced, clearing a path to the quarterfinals for the already overwhelming event favourite.
She subsequent performs Forty second-ranked Czech Marie Bouzkova or One hundred and thirty fifth-ranked Croatian Jana Fett.
Osaka is a former world No. 1 who gained two U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens on onerous courts from 2018 to 2021.
She grew to become the primary participant to carry Swiatek to fewer than 4 video games gained in a French Open set since Swiatek’s event debut in 2019.
“I cried once I acquired off the courtroom, however then, for me, I sort of notice I used to be watching Iga win this event final 12 months, and I used to be pregnant,” Osaka mentioned. “It was simply my dream to have the ability to play her. After I sort of consider it like that, I believe I’m doing fairly nicely.”
Osaka has by no means made it previous the third spherical on the French Open clay, and final beat a top-10 participant on any floor in January 2020.
Granted, she has solely confronted three top-10 gamers within the final 4 years, taking breaks from the game in that point for psychological well being, an Achilles damage and for being pregnant depart final 12 months. Daughter Shai walked for the primary time on Friday.
This season, Osaka has performed 10 tournaments, her most within the first half of a 12 months since 2018, with one quarterfinal run. She is ranked Forty second if counting solely tournaments in 2024.
She did win three matches at her final event earlier than the French, together with beating top-20 gamers Daria Kasatkina and Marta Kostyuk.
Osaka mentioned that she wrote to herself Wednesday in a bit e book, “I’m happy with you.”
“I performed (Swiatek) on her higher floor,” she mentioned. “I’m a hard-court child, so I might like to play her on my floor and see what occurs. I additionally mentioned in Australia (in January) that I’m sort of setting myself up for September (and the U.S. Open) anyway.”
The Paris Olympic tennis fields will largely be identified after the French Open.
