Iga Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth successive French Open title alive as she fought back from a set and a break down to defeat Elena Rybakina on Sunday, ahead of reigning men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz’s last-16 tie against Ben Shelton.
The four-time Roland Garros champion, who has been struggling for her best form and has not reached a final since winning the title last year, was in serious trouble when trailing 2-0 in the second set. But the 24-year-old dug deep to clinch a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
History beckons
Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The Pole will next face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who knocked out 2024 losing finalist Jasmine Paolini, in the last eight on Tuesday. Svitolina made the quarter-finals for the fifth time with a comeback 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 win over last year’s runner-up Paolini, saving three match points in a dramatic opening match.
Swiatek is now on a 25-match winning streak at the French Open and boasts a remarkable 39-2 win-loss record in the tournament. “Well it was tough you know, first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner,” said Swiatek. “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.”
Zheng marches on
Olympic champ Zheng Qinwen secured a quarter-final place with a three-set win over Russian Liudmila Samsonova. The Chinese eighth seed extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3.
Meanwhile, World No. 2 Gauff booked her ticket to the same stage with a straight-sets win over Czech Marie Bouzkova late on Saturday. The 21-year-old won 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) against the World No. 47.
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