Iga Swiatek secured a spot in the fourth round of Roland Garros on Friday with some difficulty. The Polish titleholder was too strong for Romanian Jaqueline Cristian with 6-2 and 7-5.
Swiatek had to make a considerable effort in the second set to force the decisive service break. Cristian defended bravely, but the world number sixty had to allow a break at 6-5.
After 1 hour and 54 minutes, the visibly relieved Swiatek finished it off on her second match point. She concluded the exciting second set with a strong return that Cristian couldn’t handle. The second set lasted no less than one hour and twenty minutes.
“She seized her opportunities and went for it. I’m glad I finished it. It was an entertaining match from both sides,” said the 23-year-old Swiatek after the match on the court. “It was the first time I experienced a wave here in Paris.”
Swiatek is undefeated in 24 matches at Roland Garros and is chasing her fourth consecutive title. In 2021, she last lost in Paris, to Greek Maria Sakkari. In recent years, Swiatek has had a more successful preparation for the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. She did not win a single clay tournament this season.
Swiatek’s next opponent is Kazakh Elena Rybakina or Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia.
Sabalenka has less difficulty
Earlier in the day, Aryna Sabalenka had less difficulty reaching the fourth round. The world number one conceded only five games against Serbian Olga Danilovic: 6-2 and 6-3.
The 27-year-old Sabalenka, who now faces American Amanda Anisimova, has never been in the final in Paris. Last year, the Belarusian lost in the quarter-finals. She has won three Grand Slam tournaments, all on hard court.
Swiatek and Sabalenka could meet in the semi-finals. Because Swiatek has dropped to fifth place in the world rankings, she could also face a player from the top four in the quarter-finals: the Italian Jasmine Paolini.