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3pm/2pm BST
\n (1) Iga Swiatek (Poland) v (3) Coco Gauff (US)
\n Not before 5pm/4pm BST
\n (12) Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v Mirra Andreeva (Russia)
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Tennis, bloody hell. Only eight days ago Iga Swiatek was down and very nearly out against an inspired Naomi Osaka in the second round, coming from 5-2 behind in the final set and saving a match point to keep her bid for a third consecutive French Open title alive.
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But instead of that narrow escape putting any doubt in the world No 1’s mind, it has had the opposite effect. She has treated her opponents with utter disdain since, conceding only eight games in three matches (half of those six sets have been won 6-0), and she made Marketa Vondrousova look like a world No 500 rather than a reigning Wimbledon champion in the 6-0, 6-2 quarter-final rout.
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Yesterday’s results gave her even more momentum when her toughest rivals on tour, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, were bundled out in the other half of the draw. Swiatek knows that if she gets past Coco Gauff in their semi-final today – and the chances are that she will given this is a profitable match-up for her, having beaten the American in 10 of their 11 meetings – she’ll be the overwhelming favourite in Saturday’s final against Mirra Andreeva or Jasmine Paolini.
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But making this all about Swiatek would do a disservice to Gauff – and Andreeva and Paolini. There has been so much to like about Gauff this tournament, especially the way she dealt with a resurgent Ons Jabeur in her gutsy three-set comeback win on Tuesday. Gauff – still only 20 – will be the new world No 2 next week, a reward for the supreme consistency she has achieved since winning the US Open last year. And Andreeva and Paolini deserve plenty of credit for the way they overcame their far more illustrious opponents yesterday; one of them will now reach their first slam final.
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Swiatek knows this title is now hers for the taking, which would make her only the third woman to win three successive Roland Garros titles in the Open era after Monica Seles in 1990-92 and Justine Henin in 2005-07. But yesterday’s shockwaves are still reverberating around Roland Garros, and they serve as a reminder that nothing is guaranteed. And that, of course, is why we watch.
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Play begins at: 2pm BST/3pm Paris time. Don’t be late!
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We are ready for the 2022 Finals rematch 😍#Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/jjgVxpfjtD
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2024
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All 10 of Gauff’s losses to Swiatek have been in straight sets, including the 2022 French Open final and last year’s quarterfinals. The difficult thing for the 20-year-old in this matchup is that while she has many strengths — her backhand, her athleticism, her mental toughness — Swiatek has a shaky forehand and can target it with a very powerful, topspin-laden forehand.
And then, as always, the players come in with headphones on. Unfortunately, the roaring of the crowd will not be heard by the crowd, but it’s good to see the stands are almost full. The Paris crowd has been a little late in the last two weeks, but this time it seems they don’t want to be late.
Gauff spoke about the mental challenge of playing against Swiatek:
I think as you get older, you learn a little bit more about how to handle pressure. I don’t have a mental or sports coach, but I knew I had to be more positive. And I realized that I can’t beat myself, and I can’t lose to them.
She’s definitely a tough opponent for me and for anybody. For me, I think I’ll just have to go back and watch. [previous matches] And then I try to figure out what I need to do.
I think she’s playing great tennis here so it will be a challenge but I’m going to go into the match with a lot of belief that I can do it.
Swiatek explained why she doesn’t take Gauff lightly, despite winning 10 of their 11 meetings.
I think her mental game is a little better and it used to be easier to “break” her when she was in the lead.
But her progress is normal, she’s at an age where if she works hard enough, she can make progress and everything will go smoothly.
Maybe every aspect of her game is getting a little bit better, because certainly there’s a difference between being a teenager on tour and being a more mature player.
One match against Philippe Chatrier has already been played today, with Great Britain’s Neal Skupski and American partner Desiree Krafcik losing in the mixed doubles final.Laura Zigemund and Edouard Roger-Basselin won 6-4, 7-5.
Meanwhile, another Briton, Alfie Hewett, was eliminated in the men’s singles wheelchair semi-finals, the top seed losing 7-5, 6-7 (1), 6-2 to Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez.
Another trip down memory lane:
On this day in 1999, Andre Agassi completed his career Grand Slam.
🏆 Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open pic.twitter.com/z540j8ajAC
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 6, 2024
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Or there is enough time Look at this. Searching “Henin 2007 final” on YouTube turns up no results, but here is a video of Seles beating Steffi Graf in the 1992 final.
Would you like to read something while you wait?
Order of Play
Philippe Chatrier
3pm/2pm BST
(1) Iga Swiatek (Poland) vs. (3) Coco Gauff (United States)
Before 5pm/4pm BST
(12) Jasmine Paolini (Italy) vs. Mila Andreeva (Russia)
preamble
Tennis, damn it. Just eight days ago, Iga Swiatek came close to losing to a resurgent Naomi Osaka in the second round, trailing 5-2 in the deciding set but surviving match points to keep her hopes of winning a third consecutive French Open title alive.
But rather than soothing the world number one in doubt, that close call actually had the opposite effect: She has shown utter contempt for her opponent since then, losing just eight games in three matches (half of those six sets were won 6-0) and making Marketa Vondrousova, who reached the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-2 thrashing, look more like a world No. 500 player than the reigning Wimbledon champion.
Yesterday’s result gave Swiatek even more momentum after two of her toughest opponents on the tour, Aryna Sabalenka and Jelena Rybakina, were eliminated in the other half of the draw, and if she beats Coco Gauff in today’s semifinal (a likely win given the favorable matchup for her, having beaten Gauff in 10 of their previous 11 meetings), she knows she will be the overwhelming favorite to win Saturday’s final against either Mila Andreeva or Jasmine Paolini.
But it would be a disservice to Gauff, and to Andreeva and Paolini, to blame it all on Swiatek. There’s a lot to like about Gauff in this tournament, especially the way she handled a resurgent Ons Jabeur in a three-set comeback win on Tuesday. Gauff, still just 20, will be newly ranked No. 2 next week, a reward for the supreme consistency she’s achieved since winning last year’s U.S. Open. And Andreeva and Paolini deserve plenty of credit for the way they beat far more prestigious opponents yesterday. One of them will now be in their first Grand Slam final.
Swiatek knows the title is now hers, becoming just the third woman in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles at Roland Garros, after Monica Seles in 1990-92 and Justine Henin in 2005-07. But yesterday’s shockwaves are still reverberating around Roland Garros, a reminder that nothing is guaranteed. And, of course, that’s why we watch the matches.
Play Start Time: 2pm BST / 3pm Paris time. Don’t be late!
