Defending champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the French Open quarter-finals on Sunday after defeating Elena Rybakina in a hard-fought match at Roland Garros. The Polish player overcame a first-set loss to win 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 29 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The four-time Roland Garros champion will face Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals, following the Ukrainian's victory over last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Swiatek's path to victory was challenging, as she found herself a set and a break down against the 12th-seeded Kazakh. This match came amid a turbulent 2025 season for Swiatek, following early exits at both Madrid and Italian Opens.
"Well it was tough you know, first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner. I needed to do something to get back in the game, but with her playing like that I didn't feel like I had much hope," said Swiatek.
Rybakina dominated the first set, taking a commanding 5-0 lead before Swiatek managed to win her first game. The fifth-seeded Pole then showed resilience in the second set, despite being broken in the opening game.
The turning point came in the fifth game of the second set, where Swiatek held serve despite multiple double-faults. She then broke Rybakina's serve to love in the following game and went on to win the set.
Quiz:
Who's that IPL player? The decisive third set saw Swiatek break serve in the seventh game, but a double-fault allowed Rybakina to level the score. At 5-5, Swiatek secured another break before serving out the match.
The victory marked Swiatek's first win against Rybakina on clay courts, improving their head-to-head record to 5-4 in the Pole's favor.
The match showcased Swiatek's determination to defend her title, having won Roland Garros last year as part of a clay-court treble that included victories in Madrid and Rome.
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