Iga Swiatek is one match away from making tennis history after she booked her spot in the French Open semi-finals.
The four-time Roland Garros queen beat 13th seed Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 in the quarter-finals and will face world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the next round.
Swiatek is into the French Open semi-finals for the fifth timeGettySwiatek’s win was also her 26th on the bounce at the French Open which, according to Opta, equalled the longest winning streak at a women’s singles event at a grand slam this century.
The only other player who has enjoyed a streak as long as Swiatek’s is American great Serena Williams, who won 26 in a row at the US Open from 2012 to 2015.
Victory over Sabalenka in the semi-finals would mean Swiatek, who has only lost twice at Roland Garros, would have the record all to herself.
It would be an astonishing feat for Swiatek to lay claim to over Williams given the American is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Williams is a 23-time grand slam champion and spent a staggering 319 weeks as the world number one in the WTA’s rankings.
But Swiatek, who has five grand slam titles at the age of 24, will undoubtedly look to eclipse Williams to take the record for herself.
The Pole already has a handful of her own, including the longest winning streak of the 21st century which lasted a staggering 37 games in 2022.
Swiatek also became the youngest player to secure their fourth women’s singles title at a grand slam when she won the 2024 French Open aged 23 years and eight days.
She is also now two wins away from becoming the outright third-most successful player in women’s singles at Roland Garros in the Open era, with only Chris Evert (seven) and Steffi Graf (six) having won more.
However, Swiatek didn’t have it all her own way against Svitolina.
Williams dominated women’s tennis for decadesGettyAfter the Ukrainian dropped the first set, Swiatek knew Svitolina would come out swinging in an attempt to level the deficit.
But Swiatek was more than up for the task as she recognised the storm that would soon be coming.
“I should have had better intensity at the beginning of the second set because Elina [Svitolina] is the kind of player that plays better under pressure,” Swiatek said.
“When she is losing she always steps up, so I needed to be ready for that.
“After I saw that happening, my intensity immediately went up.
“I wanted to be proactive and really lead in the game, so I’m happy I did that.
Swiatek had to battle a resurgent Svitolina in the second setGetty“You could see that my serve was kind of weird, but that was also because of the wind. I think we both wanted to figure out how to work around that, but at the end of the first set I felt the wind went down a little bit so I knew I could go for it [on serve].
“I just went all in [in the final game to serve three aces]. I think I served three lines, I’m pretty proud of that because it doesn’t happen often.
“It’s nice to win some points for free, for sure.”
Swiatek’s attention now shifts towards Sabalenka in what will be the 13th encounter between the two.
The defending French Open champion holds the advantage with eight wins to Sabalenka’s four.
Although Sabalenka won their last meeting, which was in Cincinnati on hard court, Swiatek has won five out of the six times they have played against each other on clay.
“It is always a challenge against Aryna,” Swiatek said.
“She really has a game for every surface, so I just need to focus on myself, do the work, be brave in my shots and just go for it.
“I’m going to prepare tactically tomorrow for sure.
“She has been having a great season so I’m not going to lie, it is going to be a tough match. But I’m happy for the challenge.”
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