Polish star Iga Swiatek cruised into the third round of the French Open after a crushing victory over Britain’s Emma Raducanu.
Iga Swiatek won the match convincingly 6-1 6-2, taking her 23rd consecutive victory at Roland Garros. The victory means that Swiatek has won all of her previous five meetings with Raducanu, winning every set in the process.
The Polish player has started the French Open strongly, having previously beaten Rebecca Šramková in the first round 6-3 6-3.
Thanks to her flying start, she has the potential to break a simply remarkable French Open record.
Iga Swiatek chasing record fourth successive women’s French Open title
Swiatek’s victory means that she is still on course to become the first ever woman to win four consecutive titles at Roland Garros in the Open era, having claimed the titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
She now has a record of 37 wins and only two losses at the tournament. This gives her a win percentage of nearly 95% at the French Open, the second-best of the Open era only behind Rafael Nadal.
The world number five didn’t come into the tournament in great form. She failed to win any of her three warm-up tournaments on clay, and most recently crashed out of the Italian Open in straight sets in the third round.
However, she believes that Roland Garros brings out the best in her. In her post-match interview she said, “I just love playing here [Roland Garros], this place really inspires me and makes me work hard.”
Swiatek will now face the world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian in the third round on Friday. It will be the first meeting between the pair, although the five-time Grand Slam winner has far more experience than Cristian, as the Romanian has never progressed beyond the third round of a major.
Will Iga Swiatek obtain glory at Roland Garros?
It’s difficult to say, but Swiatek is one of the favourites but faces stern competition from the likes of Aryna Sabalenka.
The Belarusian is the current world number one and has previously won three Grand Slam titles. However, she has a poor record at the French Open having only progressed to the semi-final stage once in eight previous appearances in Paris.
She has started the tournament strongly though. Like Swiatek, she is yet to drop a set, having beaten Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1 6-0 in the first round and then beating Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-1 in the second round.
She also has her third-round match on Friday, when she will face Olga Danilović.
Carlos Alcaraz believes Sabalenka will win – but it’s still anyone’s game at this stage of the competition.
Sabalenka and Swiatek are projected to meet in the semi-finals of this year’s tournament, in a clash that could be crucial for determining whether the Polish star can make French Open history.