PARIS — No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka ended Iga Swiatek’s 26-match French Open unbeaten streak and reached the final in Paris for the first time by using her pure power to dominate down the stretch and win their semifinal 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 on Thursday.
Sabalenka’s victory prevented Swiatek from becoming the first woman to win four consecutive championships at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament since professionals were admitted in 1968.
It also gives Sabalenka a chance to win her fourth major title – and first away from hard courts, after two at the Australian Open and one at the U.S. Open.
The 27-year-old from Belarus also took the top WTA ranking from Swiatek in October
Sabalenka will face No. 2 Coco Gauff or 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Loïs Boisson in the final on Saturday.
Most remarkable, perhaps, was the way Sabalenka – her back dotted with flecks of the rust-colored clay – dominated in crunch time, racing through the last set.
With the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof closed on a drizzly day, there was no wind or other elements for the players to confront, and both produced some terrific tennis for stretches. But in the end, the difference was that when Sabalenka decided to swing away, she rushed Swiatek into mistakes.
This stat says it all: The third set included 12 unforced errors off Swiatek’s racket, and zero off Sabalenka’s.This continues a rough stretch for Swiatek, a 24-year-old from Poland, who has not even reached a final at any tournament since walking away with her third trophy in a row — and fifth Grand Slam title overall – from Paris 12 months ago. She recently slid to No. 5 in the rankings.
Her rut includes a surprising exit in the semifinals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which were contested at Roland-Garros; she ended up with the bronze medal. Then, later last season, she was banned for a month after testing positive for a banned substance; her explanation was accepted that the result was unintentional and caused by a contaminated medicine.
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