Iga Swiatek staged a stunning comeback at Roland Garros on Sunday, rallying from a brutal start to defeat 12th-seeded Elena Rybakina 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 and keep alive her quest for a record fourth straight French Open title.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion known for her booming serve and flat, fierce groundstrokes, raced to a 5-0 lead in under 20 minutes, winning 24 of the first 32 points and hitting 10 of the match’s first 12 winners.
“I needed to do something to get back in the match and, honestly, with her playing like that, I didn’t have a lot of hope,” Swiatek said.
The second set started no better. Swiatek double-faulted to drop the opening game, then turned to her team with a gesture of exasperation – palms up, searching for answers – as she quickly fell behind 2-0.
But then the world No. 1 rediscovered her clay-court dominance, flipping a switch and transforming back into the relentless force who has now won four of the past five French Open crowns, improving to 39-2 all-time in Paris and extending her win streak at the tournament to 25 matches.
That certainly seemed in danger at the outset on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where Swiatek had trouble dealing with Rybakina’s power and repeatedly was forced into errors. Given Swiatek’s rough stretch since June 2024, it might not have been entirely surprising if she had taken a loss Sunday.
After all, Swiatek hadn’t reached the final of any event since winning the trophy in Paris a year ago and had slid from No. 1 to No. 5 in the WTA rankings.
That rut included a surprising exit in the semifinals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which were contested at Roland Garros; she ended up with the bronze medal. Later last season, she was banned for one month after testing positive for a banned substance; her explanation – that the result was unintentional and caused by a contaminated medicine – was accepted.
On Tuesday, Swiatek will face No. 13 Elina Svitolina, a three-time major semifinalist who is 0-4 in French Open quarterfinals.
Svitolina saved three match points earlier Sunday to beat 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1. All of the top eight women’s seeds reached the fourth round; No. 4 Paolini was the first to exit.
Swiatek was nearly the next, but she pulled out the tight win.
One key moment during the 2 1/2-hour match that perhaps signaled Rybakina’s unraveling came when she was a point away from a second break in the second set and had the chance to strike a forehand into an open section of the court. Instead, she hit it right at Swiatek. When the ball came back over the net, Rybakina netted a jumping overhead.
Soon, Swiatek was playing better – imposing herself in groundstroke exchanges, moving closer to the baseline. Her returns became more effective as Rybakina’s first-serve percentage dipped from 56% in the first set to 45% in the second and 43% in the third.
In the second set, Swiatek reeled off five straight games and, at one point, won 10 consecutive points.
Still, not all was smooth sailing in the third. Swiatek faced three break points while trailing 3-2 but escaped. After earning a break to lead 4-3, she gave it right back – double-faulting to let Rybakina even it at 4-all.
In the next game, Swiatek appeared to have a break for a 5-4 edge when, on break point, Rybakina’s second serve was ruled a fault. But chair umpire Kader Nouni overruled the line judge’s out call. When Swiatek pointed out that Rybakina had not disputed the original ruling, Nouni replied, “It’s my responsibility to check it.”
It was one of several disputed calls in the third set. Rybakina eventually held, then Swiatek held for 5-all and claimed the last two games. When the match ended on her forehand winner, Swiatek yelled, rocked back on her heels and put her fist to her chest.
