PARIS — No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka ended Iga Swiatek’s 26-match French Open unbeaten streak and reached the final in Paris for the first time by using her pure power to dominate down the stretch and win their semifinal 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 on Thursday.
Sabalenka’s victory prevented Swiatek from becoming the first woman to win four consecutive championships at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament since professionals were admitted in 1968.
It also gives Sabalenka a chance to win her fourth major title — and first away from hard courts, after two at the Australian Open and one at the US Open.
“It feels incredible, but I also understand that the job is not done yet,” said Sabalenka, a 27-year-old from Belarus who took the top WTA ranking from Swiatek in October. “She’s the toughest opponent, especially on the clay, especially at Roland Garros. I’m proud that I was able to get this win. It was a tough match … but I managed it, somehow.”
In Saturday’s final, Sabalenka will face No. 2 Coco Gauff, who ended the run of 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Lois Boisson with a 6-1, 6-2 semifinal victory.
In a nod to Boisson’s status as the home favorite, Sabalenka joked to the crowd during her postmatch interview: “I’m pretty sure you’re going to be cheering for one person like crazy, and I’m not sure if I really want her to win.”
Most remarkable about Sabalenka’s win, perhaps, was the way she dominated in crunch time, racing through the last set.
“I mean, 6-love,” she said. “What can I say? Couldn’t be more perfect than that.”
With the Court Philippe Chatrier roof closed on a drizzly day, there was no wind or other elements for the players to confront, and both produced some terrific tennis for stretches. In the end, the difference was that when Sabalenka decided to swing away, she rushed Swiatek into mistakes.
The third set included 12 unforced errors off Swiatek’s racket and zero off Sabalenka’s.
“It could not be more perfect than that,” Sabalenka said of her third-set performance. “I’m super proud right now. I’m glad I found my serve.”
This continues a rough stretch for Swiatek, a 24-year-old from Poland, who has not reached a final at any tournament since walking away with her third trophy in a row — and fifth Grand Slam title overall — from Paris 12 months ago. She recently slid to No. 5 in the rankings.
Her rut includes a surprising exit in the semifinals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which were contested at Roland Garros; she ended up with the bronze medal. Later last season, she was banned for a month after testing positive for a banned substance; her explanation was accepted that the result was unintentional and caused by a contaminated medicine.
Swiatek said she was glad to have Roland Garros to come back to year after year.
“I love playing here, so for sure I’m happy I was fortunate enough to play so many great tournaments here. Even this one, I played better than weeks before,” Swiatek told reporters. “So I’m just happy that I have this place to come back to every year and just try to push myself.”
Sabelanka is, unquestionably, as good as it gets in women’s tennis right now.
Even before getting to this final, her six appearances in title matches this year were the most for a woman entering the French Open since Serena Williams in 2013. She has reached the final at three straight Grand Slams, becoming the first woman to do so since Williams in 2016 (Australian, French, Wimbledon).
And her first-strike tennis, always such a threat on faster surfaces, is clearly quite useful on the slower clay. The thuds generated by her contact with the ball reverberated off the inside of the retractable roof.
“She didn’t doubt,” Swiatek said. “She just went for it.”
Even though Sabalenka broke in the first game and soon led 4-1 — at which point Swiatek was glancing up at her coach, Wim Fissette, in the stands, hoping for some sort of insight that could change things — this was not one-way traffic. Swiatek ended up leading 5-4 in that set, but when they got to the tiebreaker, Sabalenka asserted herself.
Swiatek took a lengthy trip to the locker room before the second set, something she often does after ceding one, and came out playing better, quickly breaking to 1-0 and evening the match before Sabalenka reasserted her dominance in the decider.
“I lost my intensity a bit,” Swiatek said. “Just couldn’t push back.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
