Swiatek overwhelms Gauff to face Paolini in French Open final

PARIS (AFP): Iga Swiatek continued her bid for a fourth French Open title on Thursday with a dominant victory over Coco Gauff to reach another final at Roland Garros. The world number one is just one match away from becoming the first woman to win the tournament in three straight years since Justine Henin in 2007 after a 6-2, 6-4 victory. She will face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini who crushed Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva 6-3 6-1 on Thursday to bulldoze her way into the French Open final and continue her country’s Roland Garros fairytale. The diminutive 28-year-old is the first Italian player to reach the final on the Paris clay since doubles partner Sara Errani in 2012, and her resounding victory came two days after compatriot Jannik Sinner made it to the last four in the men’s draw, guaranteeing he would be world number one next week. “It was intense, in the second set, it was kind of tight because we were breaking each other, but I’m glad I was consistent in my tactics and just went for it in the end,” said Swiatek who saved a match point against Naomi Osaka in the second round last week but has barely broken sweat since, losing just 14 games across the next four rounds. “Something changed, I just adjusted better to the court and it’s not easy to play the first matches at a Grand Slam because the atmosphere is much different to other tournaments,” she added. “And against Noami it was difficult to get into it because she just went for it… I’ve improved my feel and gained confidence.”

The Pole’s career win-loss record at Roland Garros now stands at a staggering 34-2, while she is on a 20-match winning streak at the event. The 23-year-old has won all four of her previous Grand Slam finals and will bid to extend that run against either 17-year-old sensation Mirra Andreeva or Jasmine Paolini on Saturday. Russian Andreeva and Italian 12th seed Paolini meet in the other semi-final on Thursday night. Swiatek hit only 10 winners in an unspectacular display by her high standards, but US Open champion Gauff made 39 unforced errors and was left holding back tears following an argument with the chair umpire. Top seed Swiatek could become only the fourth woman to win four Roland Garros titles in the Open era ––– after Henin, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf. She is also on track to join Serena Williams as the only women to complete the treble of French, Madrid and Rome Open titles in the same year. Gauff, who will rise to world number two next week, has now lost 11 of her 12 matches against Swiatek, all in straight sets. That includes three successive defeats at Roland Garros, after last year’s quarter-finals and the 2022 final.

Tearful Gauff:

Swiatek, who had three bagel sets across her previous two matches, quickly struck first blood with a break in the opening game.  Gauff had plenty of chances, but was erratic from the baseline, missing both break points she created and hitting 18 unforced errors to effectively hand Swiatek the first set. The youngster found some consistency early in the second set, moving 2-1 ahead on serve. Gauff then became embroiled in a heated exchange with the chair umpire over the timing of a line call, exclaiming “it’s a Grand Slam semi-final, know the rules of the game”, while almost moved to tears. That perceived injustice helped the American briefly raise her game, snatching her first break of the match after a long rally to lead 3-1, only to be pegged back immediately. There was only going to be one outcome from then on as Swiatek reeled off four games in a row to take complete control. Gauff dug deep, saving two match points to force Swiatek to serve it out. Swiatek sealed a place in her fourth French Open final in five years on her fourth match point as another wild Gauff forehand flew well off target.