World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka stormed into her maiden French Open final on Thursday with a commanding 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 victory over defending champion Iga Swiatek, bringing an end to the Pole’s remarkable 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
Sabalenka, who will now face 2022 finalist Coco Gauff in Saturday’s showpiece, overpowered the four-time champion with her trademark aggression and intensity. Her victory denied Swiatek a shot at becoming the first woman in the Open Era to win four consecutive titles in Paris.
“Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet,” said Sabalenka following her win. “I’m just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere. She’s the toughest opponent, especially on clay, especially at Roland Garros. It was a tough match, it was a tricky match but I managed.”
The Belarusian came out firing, racing to a 3-0 lead with two early breaks. Her aggressive returns left Swiatek reeling, with the Pole managing to win just 35% of points on her second serve in the opening set. Despite some early nerves and unforced errors, Swiatek fought back to force a tiebreak, only for Sabalenka to dominate it 7-1.
Swiatek, who had dropped only one set en route to the semi-finals, gradually regained composure and levelled the match by edging the second set. But Sabalenka, playing in her second semi-final in Paris, quickly regained control in the decider, breaking Swiatek in the opening game and never looking back.
“I think the pace from her was super fast,” admitted Swiatek. “Especially at the beginning of the match, she played just kind of as hard as possible and pretty risky. So it was just hard to get into any rally.”
“In the third set I feel like we kind of came back to what happened in the first, and she for sure used her chances and I didn’t really keep up what I was doing in the second set.”
Sabalenka, known for her thunderous groundstrokes, proved too strong in the final set as Swiatek faded.
“It could not be more perfect than that,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super proud right now, I’m glad I found my serve again in the third set.”
In the other semi-final, American second seed Coco Gauff breezed past French wild card Lois Boisson in straight sets, ending the local favourite’s dream run in convincing fashion.
Boisson, ranked 361st in the world and playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final, had stunned two seeded players during her campaign, including world No.3 Jessica Pegula. But Gauff, aiming to become the first American woman to win in Paris since Serena Williams in 2015, proved too strong for the 22-year-old.
“This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that it was to be 99% for her so I was trying to block it out,” said Gauff.
Boisson, who had played just two main tour matches prior to the tournament, found herself overwhelmed by Gauff’s pace and consistency.
“I don’t know how to say, but she played on the right and on the left and on the right,” said Boisson. “I just feel like I was running everywhere on the court today, so it was really tough. She was really solid, and I couldn’t play my game today because she was just too good.”
Gauff and Sabalenka will now meet in what promises to be a high-octane final on Saturday at Roland Garros.