Follow Us;Resize=(820,462) "Iga Swiatek")
Iga Swiatek begins her bid for a fourth straight Roland Garros title with a win over Rebecca Sramkova. Despite recent struggles and a loss at the Paris Olympics, she’s determined to regain her clay-court dominance while embracing her vulnerability.
Iga Swiatek said last year's Olympic loss proved she is not unbeatable at Roland Garros, as she launched her bid for a fourth straight title Monday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova.
Swiatek extended her winning run at the French Open to 22 matches, but she has dropped to fifth in the world after a year-long trophy drought and has looked unusually vulnerable on clay lately.
The 23-year-old has yet to reach a final this season and is no longer the overwhelming favourite at a tournament she has dominated since capturing the trophy for the first time as a teenager in 2020.
Related Articles
Swiatek looks back at Paris Olympics defeat after 1st round win
Asked whether stepping onto the main Phillipe Chatrier court filled her with the same sense of invincibility as it did for Rafael Nadal, Swiatek pointed to her straight-sets defeat by Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"No, I mean, I literally lost a match in the Olympics, so it's not like you can't lose," she said. "But for sure I feel a lot of good energy, and I feel like I'm ready to fight. I am willing to fight, and it's great to be pumped up before the match because of that, so I'm using it, for sure."
How Swiatek secured first round win
The Pole, who has lost only once in the first round in 25 Grand Slam appearances, broke for a 4-3 lead against Sramkova after a lengthy seventh game, and then again to wrap up the opening set.
She fell 2-0 behind to start the second but got back on serve before securing another break to see off the 42nd-ranked Sramkova in straight sets for the second Grand Slam in a row.
Pole on facing Emma Raducanu
"We’ve already played a couple of times and know each other’s game," said Swiatek, who dropped just one game against Raducanu in the third round in Melbourne this January. "
I’ll need to be intense and focus on myself. She’s a US Open champion—she can play great tennis. I’ll be ready."
