Sunday's 1/8 finals match was one of the toughest Świątek ever played at Roland Garros. It was no surprise, as Rybakina always gave her a hard time. The Kazakh player defeated Iga in their previous two duels on clay, as well as in their only previous Grand Slam match in the 1/8 finals of the Australian Open 2023.
The first set did not suggest that Świątek would be able to break this streak of defeats against Rybakina on clay. The exchanges were short, Iga made many mistakes, and her serve posed no threat. The 24-year-old Pole lost game after game - and it didn't take long for the score to turn 0:5.
Świątek, who celebrated her 24th birthday on Saturday, had a hard time winning the next game as well, defending two set points. She managed to overcome the initial apathy, though - but initially it did not yield significant results. A few minutes later - Rybakina closed the first set with an ace.
The start of the second set also did not herald the Pole's return to her best disposition. When Rybakina placed strong and precise serves close to Świątek's feet, Iga staggered like a boxer hit with a series of strong blows. The Kazakh player started the set with a 2:0 lead, but she was not able to knock her opponent out, so to speak.
And finally - so far dominating Rybakina lost her rhythm in the fourth game. She messed up an easy volley at the net - and soon after Świątek made up for the break loss. The fifth game, in which as many as 18 balls were played, was no less important. Iga intertwined brilliant plays with double service faults. She had to defend three break points - but got out of trouble and for the first time in this match the Pole was leading in the set.
Riding this wave, Świątek won nine of the next ten balls. Perhaps this was another reason that pushed Rybakina to start making mistakes way more often than in the first set. And so, after an hour and 25 minutes, the duel was tied 1:1 in sets.
The third set was top-tier tennis from both players. Rybakina served first, and won games on her own serve. Świątek had to chase the result - and did just that, responding in the same way. The Pole got in trouble in the sixth game, but then she defended two break points. In the next one, however, she turned the tide and managed to break her opponent.
This was not the end of thrills, though - because Rybakina quickly made up for this loss, defeating two break points and taking the 5:4 lead. Świątek responded by serving a flawless game and making it 5-5 - following up by calmly breaking Rybakina in the next game. Then, serving for victory she converted the second match point - and after two hours and thirty minutes it was all over.
"In the first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner. It's always very difficult to play against Jelena and this victory gave me a lot of joy"
- Świątek said in an on-court post-game interview.
The Sunday duel was Świątek's ninth match against Rybakina in WTA tournaments - and the fifth victory of the Pole. Meanwhile, Iga's quarter-final rival Svitolina, clashed with her four times so far - with the current record standing at 3-1 for the Pole. Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian beat last year's French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini (WTA 4th) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1.
Świątek eyes her fourth Roland Garros triumph in a row this year, and the fifth career Grand Slam championship won in Paris. Apart from the previous three years - the Polish superstar also topped French Open in 2020.
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Source: IAR, PAP