Poland’s Iga Swiatek produced one of the best performances of her career to knock title favourite Simona Halep out of the French Open on Sunday.
The world No.54, who lost to Halep in just 45 minutes at the same stage of the tournament 12 months ago, dominated proceedings from the onset to prevail 6-1,6-2, and end the Romanian’s run of 13 consecutive wins on the clay. The comprehensive 68-minute win saw Swiatek hit almost three times more winners than Halep (30-12) as she dropped just 10 points behind her serve.
“I felt like I was playing perfectly and I was so focused during the whole match that even I was surprised that I was able to do that,” a stunned Siatek said during her on-court interview.
24 minutes was all it took Swiatek to take the first set during what was a high-quality opener. The underdog overwhelmed Halep’s game with the help of angle shots and powerful hitting from the baseline. It wasn’t that the top seed was playing erratically but the Polish No.1 was simply the better out of the two. Incredibly Halep produced just two unforced errors despite comprehensively losing the opener. In contrast Swiatek hit 17 winners compared to four from across the court.
Closing in on her first ever major quarter-final, Swiatek didn’t appear overwhelmed by the prospect in any way as she continued to dismantle the game of the former world No.1. Unable to find a solution, Halep’s frustration grew with vocal outbursts and glances towards her entourage. Meanwhile, a highly-intensive Swiatek secured a double break en route to a set and 4-1 lead.
Serving for the biggest victory of her career, Swiatek strolled to three match points after hitting an overhead winner. After failing to concert her first opportunity, she prevailed on her second after firing a serve down the centre of the court which Halep failed to return.
“I wasn’t experienced at all then and it was my first experience on a big stage. So I was pretty stressed,” Swiatek reflected on her match with Halep 12 months ago. “ Since then I have made huge progress because I have played a few big matches against Simona, Carolina Wozniacki and Naomi Osaka. That helped me a lot and I feel like I can handle the pressure.”
19-year-old Swiatek is only playing in her seventh Grand Slam main draw compared to her opponent who was playing in her 40th. A former French Open girls doubles champion, the Pole first broke into the world’s top 50 last year and has so far only played in one WTA final. Doing so at the 2019 Lugano Open where she fell in three sets to Polona Hercog.
“I always love playing here (at Roland Garros). Even when I was a junior I played against older players and made it to the quarter-finals. This week is a dream come true for me and I hope it is going to continue,” she said.
It is the first time Swiatek has defeated a top 10 player in her career. She is also the first player from her country to reach the last eight of the tournament since Agnieszka Radwanska back in 2013.
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