Iga Swiatek’s French Open campaign ended on Thursday, June 5, after she lost to reigning World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. The Pole interacted with the media for her post-match conference, and one question irked her.
Swiatek entered Roland Garros as the three-time defending champion and a strong contender for the win. She began her time in Paris on a dominant note and clinched straight-set victories in all her matches except for her fourth-round encounter against Elena Rybakina, which went into the third set.
On Thursday, Swiatek faced Sabalenka in the semifinals of the French Open, losing 6(1)-7, 6-4, 0-6. After the match, an interviewer drew comparisons between the 24-year-old’s performance against Rybakina and Sabalenka, saying:
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“If you lost the first set smoothly and then, as in the match with Elena Rybakina, you lifted yourself up. We are also wondering that this third set escaped so quickly. Are you already thinking about why it happened? Is it because of the competition or is it your fault?”
Iga Swiatek was visibly annoyed at the question and responded:
“What kind of question is this?”
The journalist explained in an attempt to defend their question:
“The point here is what happened in the third set.”
Still irked, Swiatek replied:
“So I'm supposed the win the third set next time because you have a theory?"
With this defeat to Sabalenka, Swiatek will now fall to World No.7 in the WTA rankings.
Iga Swiatek reflects on her loss to Aryna Sabalenka at Roland Garros
Iga Swiatek has consistently delivered impressive performances at the French Open, winning the title in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. However, she could not bring that same magic to court on Thursday in her semifinals encounter against Aryna Sabalenka.
After the match, Swiatek broke down her performance against the World No.1 and highlighted the areas where the latter outperformed her, saying:
“I remember missing two backhands when she broke me first time. She served really well, I feel like I served the same and she read my serve much better, so I probably won less points on the return. I think I lost my intensity a bit and she just played pretty strong as in the first set but I didn't react to that well and I just couldn't push back.”
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have played each other 13 times so far. While Swiatek has won most of their matches, Sabalenka defeated the Pole in both of their most recent battles.
