Iga Świątek is the first Polish woman in 81 years to make it to the French Open final. She can crown herself with the title on Saturday. The success of the 19-year-old is not all that surprising.
Iga Świątek didn’t know exactly what to say herself. A few minutes after reaching the final at the French Open 2020, the 19-year-old had to go to the court interview.
“I’m a bit surprised. I never thought that I would play so well here,” said Świątek, who had recently knocked the Argentine qualifier off Nadia Podoroska 6: 2, 6: 1, her emotional state. “On the other hand, I always knew: If one day I should be in the final of a Grand Slam, it would be the French Open,” she admitted with a smile.
Sensational win against top favorite Halep
The Polish woman, who was born in Warsaw, has been on the rise of her career for almost two weeks. Świątek has not made a single sentence so far, only 23 games in total with a ridiculous total playing time of just seven hours. A record that otherwise only Rafael Nadal, who is downright powerful on clay, has to show at this year’s tournament.
But actually Swiątek’s tour should have ended in the round of 16. Last Sunday there was not only a two-time Grand Slam winner, the Romanian Simona Halep, but also the absolute top favorite for the title with the winner of the Rome finals and number one on the seed list.
And Świątek? Won 6-1, 6-2. In 69 minutes. In particular, the “how” left the audience breathless. Because the highly favored Halep didn’t even play badly. But Świątek was better.
Świątek has the necessary stability
She did not allow one break opportunity. Świątek dominated the game from start to finish – and that against the player against whom she saw no country the year before in Paris at 1: 6, 0: 6 in the round of 16.
Where does the dominance of the current number 54 in the world come from?
Daria Abramowicz has been part of her team for a little more than a year, a sports psychologist who gives her the stability she needs. “Mental strength is the most important thing in tennis. And those who can take the pressure are the best,” said the 19-year-old.
“The best of all”
Experts are enthusiastic about the Polish woman. The Swede Mats Wilander described her blows as complete, saw in her an upcoming “multiple Grand Slam winner. “And her compatriot Joanna Sakowicz-Kostecka, also a former tennis player, sees her as” the best of all “in Paris.
“Świątek is not afraid. Her forehand spin is so good that she opens the field so wide that her opponents can usually only look behind,” said Eurosport commentator Markus Theil, who commented on her semi-final game against Podoroska, the playful qualities Świąteks a.
An incredible dominance
“The conditions suit her. She knows these temperatures from her home country. That helps her,” said Theil, who decided on Świątek as the favorite for the final against the American Sofia Kenin: “She is capable of topspin -To drive Kenin in front of you. Kenin’s serve is not that strong, which in turn helps Świątek’s incredibly good return. ”
Świątek is constantly pushing himself. The raised fist to cheer can be seen with her after almost every point she has won. The dominance that she exudes on the pitch despite her young age can also be proven by means of numbers.
Iga Swiatek’s trademark: the clenched fist after almost every point. (Source: Michel Euler / dpa)
With 23 winners (hits to win points, editor’s note), she beat almost four times as many as her opponent Podoroska (6) in the semi-finals. Against Martina Trevisan (20 to 16 winners) in the quarter-finals and previously against Halep (30 to 12), the statistics turned out to be in favor of the Warsaw woman.
She approached the semi-finals “as if it were the first round.” Now it could crown an incredible journey. She also had a greeting to her family after her semi-final triumph and the hope that her “cat watched” too, like she communicated in her mother tongue.
On Saturday at 3 p.m. (in the live ticker on t-online.de) millions of Poles will then be sitting in front of the TV. The quarter-finals against Trevisan saw 600,000 spectators, at the semifinals on Thursday there were even more who cheered for the new star in the tennis sky.
If the right-hander triumphs, she would be the next teenage girl to win a Grand Slam final after Bianca Andreescu at the 2019 US Open. At least the signs are not bad.
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