MY ACCOUNT
Iga Swiatek showed no signs of slowing as she reached the French Open semi-finals with a straight-sets victory over Jessica Pegula, her 33rd in succession.
The 2020 Roland Garros champion entered this year’s event in imperious form, having become the fourth woman this century to win five consecutive tournaments on the WTA Tour.
And the day after her 21st birthday, Swiatek took another stride towards extending that streak to six, swatting aside Pegula 6-3 6-2 in the last eight.
Only Daria Kasatkina – against whom she has won three in a row, including the second match in this remarkable run of victories – now lies between the world number one and yet another final.
The early signs were predictably ominous for Pegula as Swiatek broke immediately, although a sloppy first service game followed and saw the Pole collapse from 40-up to level the scores when she thrashed a forehand into the net cord.
Pegula then stuck with Swiatek for a period, but her opponent’s class soon came to the fore again as she sensationally scrambled to beat the second bounce from a drop shot and squeeze a return over the net to restore her lead at 4-3.
That was the first of five successive Swiatek games as she wrapped up the set at the second attempt on Pegula’s serve – the American committing five unforced errors in that game alone.
That sequence was interrupted by a gutsy Pegula hold, only for Swiatek to defend her own serve in the next game to remain in the ascendancy before breaking for the first time in the second with a brilliant backhand down the line.
Pegula kept battling, but she was only temporarily able to hold up Swiatek at the finish line, a seven-minute game ended by a stunning winner to break again and reach the semis.
Data Slam: Pegula no match for number one
Pegula’s only previous meeting with a current number one saw her thrashed in straight sets by Ash Barty at the Australian Open. Swiatek has succeeded Barty at the top of the rankings following her retirement and has since surpassed the Aussie’s dominance, now winning 16 in a row as number one.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Swiatek – 30/28
Pegula – 16/27
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Swiatek – 4/0
Pegula – 2/1
BREAK POINTS WON
Swiatek – 5/11
Pegula – 1/2
