PARIS aEUR Iga Swiatek, a two-time French Open champion, is unbeaten since February.
Coco Gauff, who was just 18 when she appeared in her first Grand Slam final, never had much chance against Swiatek.
Gauff was defeated 6-1 by Swiatek in Saturday’s final at Roland Garros. This added to her 2020 trophy and extended her winning streak of 35 matches.
Swiatek’s unbeaten streak is equal to that of Venus Williams 2000, which was the longest in this century.
Swiatek is now the winner of six of her previous tournaments, and she is currently 42-3 for this season.
She is a dominant figure in tennis with Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, out of action for almost a year. Ash Barty, a three-time major champ, announced in March that she would retire at 25 and give up the No. 1 ranking.
Swiatek was able to rise to the top of WTA, and has proven she is a worthy resident. She lost her last match in February 2017 to Roland Garros champion Jelena Obapenko.
Swiatek’s game works on any surface, but her greatest successes have been on red clay.
The tournament’s hottest day was at 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 Celsius). While the forecast for thunderstorms predicted thundershowers, there were only a few white puffs in the blue sky above Court Philippe Chartrier.
Gauff didn’t get off to the best start, and there were some early jitters that would have been understandable from any debutant on this stage.
It is clear that the player on the other end of the net had a significant influence on how things turned out.
Swiatek broke serve from the start, with lots of help from Gauff. He put a forehand in the net and double-faulted. This elicited some sighs from the crowd. AEUR” then dumped another forehand into net, and pushed another long.
After Gauff’s forehand was not in her best interest, she lost it again and trailed 3-0 after only 15 minutes. Swiatek won the game 4-0.
Although not always the case, many Roland Garros spectators offer support to underdogs or to any player who is struggling in a match. Both of these were applicable to Gauff. There was an overabundance of shouts of “Allez Coco!” Repeated cries of her two-syllable, chant-ready first name were heard. One fan shouted, “Coco! You can do it!”
Gauff won the game by holding to 4-1 and the crowd roared in approval.
Gauff looked at her parents, who were standing nearby, and slapped her thigh.
She didn’t ever hesitate to say or do anything.
Gauff started the second set by breaking Swiatek, then holding to make it 2-0. Could this be a closer match? Could Gauff force Swiatek into a third set of matches?
No. Swiatek quickly recalibrated and asserted herself. She broke back for 2-all when Gauff’s propensity to make mistakes returned.
Swiatek isn’t just winning but also winning easily. He has 16 sets with a 6-0 score in 2022 EUR” and this is only June.
Swiatek is the only Polish player to win a Grand Slam Singles Trophy. She uses a combination of a topspin-laden forehand and a heavy backhand. She is a chess player.
Swiatek also has strong footwork, which allows her to play defense when necessary.
Her calmness on the court is another key element to Swiatek’s presence and rapidly burgeoning aura. Swiatek has been on tour with a professional sports psychologist who was in Swiatek’s guest box Saturday. They work on different aspects of her personal and professional lives.
This includes a focus on staying focused and setting priorities. Nadal, however, did attend the Champions League soccer final in Paris last Saturday.
