"Am I a good liar?" Swiatek jokes about her nemesis Ostapenko

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Adrien Guyot

le 31/05/2025 à 07h17

2 min to read

Ostapenko Roland Garros Swiatek

Iga Swiatek has advanced to the round of 16 at Roland-Garros. It’s a familiar feat for the Polish player, who has reached this stage in all seven of her appearances at the Paris Grand Slam.

In her third-round match, the world No. 5 overcame Jaqueline Cristian (6-2, 7-5) after a tough second set, but the three-time defending champion ultimately secured the win.

During her post-match press conference after defeating the Romanian, Swiatek was asked about her next opponent, which would be determined by the outcome of the match between Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko—a duel taking place while the Pole was speaking to reporters.

One journalist asked if she had a preference between the Kazakh and the Latvian. Notably, Swiatek has never beaten Ostapenko in their six previous meetings, and the latter—a true thorn in the side of the five-time Grand Slam champion—defeated the Polish player earlier this season on clay in Stuttgart.

"Right now, Elena (Rybakina) is winning. Of course, we’ll see who comes out on top, but both are very strong players. We’ve faced each other many times over the years, so we know each other’s games. No matter who wins, it’ll be a challenge either way," Swiatek replied.

"Do you have a preference?" the journalist pressed. Swiatek simply answered, "No," before bursting into laughter moments later: "Am I a good liar? Oh my, I could never play poker," the Pole joked.

In the end, Rybakina defeated Ostapenko (6-2, 6-2) and will now face Swiatek. The two have met eight times before (with four wins each), but the Olympic bronze medalist may be relieved not to face the player who has given her the most trouble on the WTA tour.