PARIS — Iga Swiatek seemed a bit off in the French Open final against Jasmine Paolini. Early on, Swiatek made mistakes, got broken in the third game, and trailed at Court Philippe Chatrier.
Could Paolini pull off a surprise victory? The answer was no. Swiatek quickly regained her form and dominated Paolini, winning 10 straight games for a 6-2, 6-1 victory. This marked Swiatek’s third consecutive championship at Roland Garros and fourth in five years.
Swiatek, the top seed, had to save a match point in the second round against Naomi Osaka, but only dropped 17 games in the five matches that followed.
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Swiatek reflected on her journey in the tournament, stating, “This tournament has been pretty surreal with its beginning and with the second round, and then I was able to get my game better and better every match. I’m really proud of myself because the expectations have been high from the outside.”
She became the first woman with three consecutive titles in Paris since Justine Henin from 2005 to 2007.
Paolini, seeded 12th, acknowledged the challenge of facing Swiatek at Roland Garros, calling it “the toughest challenge in this sport.”
Swiatek’s victory added to her previous wins at the French Open in 2020 and the US Open in 2022, making her 5-0 in major finals.
“I never played a player with this intensity before in my life,” Paolini remarked. “Right now, I think it was the most challenging match I played in my entire career.”
During the post-match ceremony, Swiatek was joined by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who each won 18 Grand Slam singles titles. Evert expressed her belief that Swiatek could surpass her record of seven championships in Paris.
Paolini, who will reach a career-best ranking of No. 7 on Monday, had never advanced past the second round in a major tournament until reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open in January.
