Iga Swiatek did her best to play it cool when she was asked if she had a preference over the identity of her next French Open opponent.
“No,” she replied without missing a beat.
She was kidding no one. All present knew Swiatek would rather face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, whom she had beaten four times in eight attempts, than cross swords once with her Latvian nemesis Jelena Ostapenko, the victor on all six occasions they have met. The Polish defending champion managed to keep a straight face for all of two seconds before dissolving into laughter.
“Am I a good liar?” she enquired with a grin. “Let’s say it doesn’t matter, really. Oh my God, I couldn’t play poker.”
No doubt Swiatek’s mood brightened further when Rybakina went on to dismiss Ostapenko in straight sets. Once in the Latvian’s shoes herself, however, it was not long before her mood dropped. Less than three-quarters of an hour, in fact – the time it took for the big-hitting Rybakina to blaze her way into a seemingly unassailable 6-1, 2-0 lead. By that stage, Swiatek was showing signs of the kind of agitation that has surfaced with unwelcome frequency in this season of struggles. It did not bode well.
This time last year, the 24-year-old was queen of all she surveyed, ranked No 1 and so dominant on her beloved red clay that she racked up 19th straight victories on the surface, winning titles in Madrid and Rome before claiming her fourth Roland Garros crown in five years. Now, a set and a break down against an opponent in irresistible form, Swiatek looked on course to suffer the heaviest defeat by a defending champion since Serena Williams salvaged just four games against Garbiñe Muguruza in 2014. An ignominious exit beckoned, but Swiatek was not done.
“I was feeling pretty bad, so I kind of accepted that I could lose the match,” she said. “But it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to fight for it.”
Fight she did, somehow summoning the will and tenacity to turn both the tide and, quite possibly, her entire season, as she recovered to claim an extraordinary 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory. It was her 25th in succession at Porte d’Auteuil, a milestone only Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal have reached since the dawn of the open era in 1968. Tough days lie ahead, but there is a growing sense of momentum around the world No 5.
“I think 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 to win it,” said Swiatek.
“For sure, it’s a great confirmation for me. 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.”.
The most pressing problem, having fallen behind at the start of the second set, was how to arrest the relentless tide of winners flowing from Rybakina’s racket and gain a foothold in the contest. Swiatek’s solution was to raise her physical intensity, chasing down every lost cause and forever forcing her opponent to play one more ball. She retreated further behind the baseline to return the 12th-seeded Kazakhstani’s penetrating serve and found greater shape on her forehand. She used her venomous topspin to break the lines and push Rybakina back off the baseline, and ramped up her footwork and aggression.
Swiatek also rode her luck, first when Rybakina netted an inviting forehand volley at break point down in the fourth game, then when she survived a service game in which she produced three double faults. Suddenly, Rybakina was no longer playing at the same exalted level, errors creeping into her game as her focus wavered for the first time.
“There was a moment in the second set, when I had the volley on top of the net and I lost, it was a big turnaround,” said Rybakina. “She stepped in, she started to play more aggressive and I was down already.
“Also, physically, I started with very good intensity, I was aggressive. In the second set it was quickly she went up, so it was tough to come back. Generally, I think I wasn’t pushing well with the legs on the serve, so it was a bit tough.”
The decider was nonetheless a tight affair, and Swiatek did well not to let her focus waver after the ninth game, when both players thought the Pole had secured a break that would have left her serving for the match. The chair umpire, Kader Nouni, had other ideas, correctly ruling that Rybakina had not double-faulted as called, and the 25-year-old made the most of the reprieve, holding for 5-4.
Swiatek, though, was not to be denied. Serving to stay in the match, she held to love, then capitalised on a string of unforced errors from Rybakina to move within touching distance of the last eight. After sealing victory with a vicious cross-court forehand winner, she clenched her fists and roared with delight.
Swiatek now faces a quarter-final showdown with Elina Svitolina, who saved three match points in a 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 win over last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini. Two summers ago, the Ukrainian defeated her at the same stage of Wimbledon. But as this match demonstrated, Swiatek is a different creature on the red dirt; having defied the odds here, she could just be tougher than ever to stop.