Iga Swiatek, the four-time champion, secured her 26th consecutive win at Roland-Garros on Tuesday, June 3, setting up a highly anticipated semi-final clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka. This will be their first-ever meeting at the French Open. Swiatek defeated Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5, continuing her impressive streak. Chris Evert holds the record for consecutive wins on the Parisian red clay with 29. Earlier, Sabalenka ousted Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in straight sets to reach the Paris semi-finals for the second time in her career.
Swiatek, who has been searching for her peak form in recent months and struggled in the previous round, displayed total control in the opening set against Svitolina. However, the 13th-seeded Ukrainian rival put up a stronger fight in the second set, breaking Swiatek’s serve in the fourth game after two unforced errors. Swiatek quickly responded, breaking back immediately and capitalizing on Svitolina’s shaky service game to break again with a powerful forehand return, taking a 6-5 lead before sealing the win with a final ace.
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Swiatek has won five of their six clay-court matches against Sabalenka, including a thrilling three-setter in Spain last year. “The Madrid final against her is one of the best and most exciting finals that I have played,” said Swiatek, who hasn’t won a title or reached a final since her Roland-Garros victory last year. “It is always a challenge against Aryna. She really has a game for every surface.”
Sabalenka is aiming to reach her sixth Grand Slam final, and her first at Roland-Garros. “We’ve had a lot of great battles in the past,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super excited to go out there and to fight and to do everything I need to get the win.”
‘I was ready to battle’
Sabalenka overcame a shaky start and windy conditions to defeat Zheng 7-6 (3), 6-3, extending her record against the Chinese star to 7-1. The score didn’t fully reflect the closeness of the quarter-final, but Sabalenka demonstrated her top ranking, making the difference on crucial points, while Zheng struggled with her serve in tense moments.
Sabalenka had lost her most recent match against Zheng last month in Rome, after dominating their first six encounters. She said that loss proved beneficial amidst an exhausting season. “I was actually glad I lost that match, because I needed a little break before Roland-Garros,” Sabalenka said. “Today, I was just more fresh. I was ready to battle, I was ready to leave everything I had on court to get this win.” Sabalenka, a three-time major champion, is yet to drop a set in Paris.
Zheng started strongly, breaking early and dominating with aggressive play. However, two double faults in the eighth game allowed Sabalenka to break back and shift the momentum. A misjudged call by Zheng in the 12th game nearly cost her the set, but she fought off a set point to force a tiebreaker. Sabalenka remained more consistent and secured the set after Zheng hit a drop shot long.
Zheng saved a break point with an overhead shot in the fifth game of the second set, but Sabalenka’s powerful backhand return pinned her down on the next one, allowing the top-ranked player to move ahead 3–2. Zheng broke back immediately, only to drop her two last service games. The loss ended a 10-match winning streak for Zheng at Roland-Garros, dating back to last summer’s Olympic Games.
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