Archive of posts tagged Iga Swiatek

Swiatek: Comeback Win Pressure Proving Ground

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“I needed that kind of win to feel these feelings that I’m able to win under pressure, and even if it’s not going the right way, still turn the match around,” Iga Swiatek said.Chrissie Evert

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, June 1, 2025
Photo credit: Antoine Couvercelle-ROLEX

Dropping eight of nine games would leave most feeling terror tremors on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Facing a 1-6, 0-2 deficit to Elena Rybakina today, Iga Swiatek skipped shivers adopting simple mind set: Fight for every ball.

Tennis Express

Reigning Roland Garros champion Swiatek pulled off a spirited comeback edging Rybakina 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the sixth straight year.

Swiatek said this comeback is confirmation she can perform under pressure after a subpar season.

“It’s a great confirmation for me that I can handle the pressure and everything, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting to have an easy score against Elena,” Swiatek said. “I also had an easy score against her, but losing, you know, because she’s a great player. So for sure that wasn’t something that I even considered today.

“Yeah, no matter what the score is, I’m going to just try to play the best tennis possible any minute. It doesn’t really matter, honestly, but for sure, as I said, it’s great to overcome some challenges during the match.”

It is Swiatek’s 25th straight Roland Garros win, equaling Hall of Famer Monica Seles for second-longest Paris Open Era women’s win streak behind Chrissie Evert (29).

Swiatek said spacing out helped her turn the match around.

Backing up further behind the baseline gave Swiatek more time to return Rybakina’s second serve as the match progressed.

Rybakina won just nine of 21 second-serve points and did not hit an ace in the final set.

“[Coach] Wim, it was his plan to kind of convince me sometimes to try it out, but I wasn’t sure if that’s my thing,” Swiatek said. “Because I remember a few years back, when I started being more aggressive, I started winning more.

“I think girls are serving faster now, and everybody is developing.

“There are some limits to what you can react to, you know. I think the coaching actually really helped me today, because I wouldn’t come up with this myself. Even though I practice it a little bit, it’s still like a weird thing for me to do.

“But for sure it helped. Yeah, as I said, it gave me more time to just play back some balls.”

Next up for Swiatek is a quarterfinal clash vs. 30-year-old Ukrainian veteran Elina Svitolina who saved three match points upsetting 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini.

“It means a lot. I think I needed that kind of win to like feel these feelings that I’m able to win under pressure, and even if it’s not going the right way, you know, still turn the match around to win it,” Swiatek said. “For sure it’s a great confirmation for me. Yeah, I for sure wanted to have a match like that.

“Obviously, it’s great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it’s not always going to be possible. I’m happy that I fought, and I also problem-solved on court.”

Raducanu: Top Players Get Preferential Treatment

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The Brit says it's a bummer to have no practice time on Chatrier. Emma Raducanu

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday May 27, 2025

Paris – Emma Raducanu would like more time to get used to playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier ahead of her second-round match with Iga Swiatek at Roland-Garros.

And she’s not exactly thrilled that she isn’t getting the chance.


Raducanu says it is tough to be expected to play her best on Court Philippe-Chatrier when she hasn’t been given the opportunity to practice on the tournament’s fabled showcourt.

“I honestly think it's really difficult, because the tournament don't really help in terms of getting you court time on the bigger courts or on like the match courts, really,” she said on Monday on Court No.8.

Court No.8 has a capacity of 350 people, while the capacious Chatrier holds 15,000.

Raducanu says she feels certain players get more chances to practice on the court, while others get nothing.
“I feel like, I don't know, certain players get preferred treatment,” she said. “It's very different from at the annex [the cluster of practice courts across the street from the site], for example, across the road or other courts to then kind of jump onto Chatrier or jump onto a stadium. It isn't easy. I wish they would give us more opportunities on [Chatrier] or bigger courts, especially if we're going to play on them.”

Raducanu, who is 0-4 lifetime against Swiatek, has never taken a set against the four-time Roland-Garros champion.

She’s looking forward to seeing how she matches up against one of the toughest challenges in women’s tennis.

“I think it's a match for me where I can really test and challenge myself,” she said as she looking ahead to facing the reigning queen of clay. “I think exposure to the top players is great for where I'm at for my development. “I think especially on clay, it's her preferred tournament [and] surface. She's won it four times. It's a match where I can go out and test really just myself and go for my shots, because I know if I just push the ball, I'm probably going to get eaten. I need to, like, hit the ball.

“I'm looking forward to that challenge.”