Sabalenka Defeats Three-Time Champion Swiatek in Roland-Garros Semifinals
Sabalenka faced Swiatek in the Roland-Garros semifinals.
Since the start of the tournament, Swiatek had a few close calls to reach the semifinals, while Sabalenka had not lost a single set since the beginning of the fortnight. The two players had faced each other 12 times, with a clear advantage for the Polish player (8-4, including 5-1 on clay). However, their last meeting was in Cincinnati last year, where the Belarusian won in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).
Sabalenka set the tone early by breaking the Pole twice to quickly lead 3-0. Swiatek narrowed the gap to 3-1 afterward but still struggled to hold her serve, enduring relentless attacks from the world No. 1 from the baseline. Though the first set seemed lost for her, the four-time tournament champion found a surge of energy to recover the breaks and even take the lead (5-4).
The Belarusian put herself in danger, letting frustration take over and ultimately squandering the lead she had built. She had been up 4-1, 40-30. However, the 27-year-old displayed impressive mental resilience to force a tie-break and eventually clinched it 7-6 (7-1) in the decisive game.
The second set swung in favor of the Pole, who was far more solid both in her serve (73% first serves) and in minimizing errors (8). Though the two champions battled fiercely, the world No. 5 found the resources to win the set—the first conceded by the Belarusian in the tournament. Finally, the third set saw a dominant display of power from the world No. 1, who also capitalized on the Pole’s serving struggles to secure the semifinal victory (7-6, 4-6, 6-0) in 2 hours and 19 minutes.
As a four-time tournament winner, Swiatek will not reach a fifth final at Porte d’Auteuil. Sabalenka, meanwhile, will face the winner of the other semifinal between world No. 2 and 2022 finalist Gauff and the surprise of this Roland-Garros, Boisson, ranked 361st and a wildcard entry.
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