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Roland-Garros: Iga Swiatek, queen of 6-0 and fastest player on the circuit

Above all, don’t talk to him about a bicycle. Like a Rafael Nadal, who hates to dwell on the score of a match won “easily”, Iga Swiatek refuses to enter into any form of chambering. So when the world number one won her third round by beating China’s Xinyu Wang 6-0, 6-0, there was no kidding. “I don’t want to answer your question,” she says to a journalist asking if she plans to open a “bicycle factory”. I want to focus on tennis and I want to give my opponent all the respect she deserves”.

A respect that the Polish offers on the court by sweeping her opponents. The “bike wheels”, the “bubbles”, nicknames given to this score of 6-0 in a set, Iga Swiatek is used to them. The double winner of Roland-Garros (2020, 2022) has already stuck four since the start of the fortnight of this 2023 edition. In seven sets played, that’s a lot. “I understand why you are talking about it, added Swiatek at a press conference. It’s entertaining, it’s funny, it makes everyone laugh. But you don’t see everything that happens behind the scenes. It’s not easy to play these matches and these are scores that can be difficult for the opponent.

A reality that the 22-year-old prodigy does not only experience at Roland-Garros but throughout the year. Since the start of 2023, she has played 77 sets and won 14 of them 6-0, or 18.1% of the total! Nearly one in five sets concluded with a “bubble”, this is a record on the circuit. Since the beginning of his professional career, at the end of 2018? 467 sets played, 71 won with a 6-0, or 15% of the total. Again, it’s huge. The results demonstrate all of her domination and a power that allows her to spend less time than the others on the court: at this Roland-Garros, she has only played 4 hours and 4 minutes in four games.

“She is so ready to fight”

“The explanation comes from his state of mind, believes the Belgian Kim Clijsters, ex-world number one and winner of four Grand Slam titles. She is so ready to fight, from the first point. She’s an example for all the other players: the intensity she puts on every shot, the quality she imposes… Above all, she doesn’t have a lot of ups and downs. And even if she has a drop in speed, she keeps the moment as short as possible. It’s very hard to beat someone who is so committed to every point. She moves well, she serves well… She’s just one of the best, the best! »

Next opponent on the board? The American Coco Gauff, number 6 in the world ranking. A strong opponent to fight? Not sure with regard to their history: 6 confrontations, 6 victories for Iga Swiatek. All without a single set lost and two 6-0 inflicted, in San Diego and during the WTA Finals in 2022, without forgetting of course the lesson in the final of Roland-Garros last year: 6-1, 6-3. The suspense of this quarter-final appears limited. Iga Swiatek is not in Paris to waste time but to write her story and join Serena Williams, Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez with three titles on the list.

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