Iga Swiatek completed her dominating run to her third consecutive French Open title and fourth in five years with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the women’s final on Saturday in Paris.
The top-seeded Swiatek improved to 5-0 in major finals, and she did so in convincing fashion. Swiatek won 10 games in a row and 11 of the final 12 overall to dispatch the 12th-seeded Paolini in 68 minutes at Roland Garros.
Swiatek watched as Paolini’s final shot sailed past the baseline before dropping to her knees and letting out a scream in triumph. She later held up four fingers while snapping a selfie to mark her four French Open titles.
“I was almost out of the tournament in the second round, so thank you (to the fans for) staying behind me and cheering for me,” Swiatek said. “I needed to believe that this one was possible. It’s been an emotional tournament, so thank you for supporting me.”
Saturday also marked Swiatek’s 21st consecutive victory at Roland Garros. The 23-year-old Poland native became the third woman to win three straight French Open titles in the Open Era, joining Monica Seles (1990-92) and Justine Henin (2005-07).
Swiatek became the first woman to capture three straight at a major since Serena Williams’ dominating run at the U.S. Open in 2012-14.
Swiatek’s victory on Saturday was her third consecutive straight sets win over a ranked opponent. She reached the final with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 3 seed Coco Gauff after toppling No. 5 seed Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
Saturday was the first Grand Slam final appearance for Paolini.
Paolini still has a chance to walk away from Paris with a title, however. She will join fellow Italian Sara Errani to face Gauff and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the final of the women’s doubles championship.
“It’s been a very intense 15 days but I’m really happy,” Paolini said. “I’m proud of my team to be here. Today was tough, but I’m really proud of myself.”
Swiatek told Paolini that she has every reason to be proud of her accomplishment.
“Congrats for an amazing tournament,” Swiatek told Paolini during her trophy presentation. “I was really impressed with how you played during these two weeks. With your game I think you can do a lot on clay. I think we’re going to have many more matches in final rounds.”
–Field Level Media
