Semi-final exit for child prodigy
Tennis superstar sweeps over new No. 2 in the world
06.06.2024, 19:16
With her 20th win in a row, Iga Świątek underlines her dominance at the French Open. In the semifinals, she hardly gives Coco Gauff a chance. Shortly afterwards, the Italian Jasmine Paolini also moves into the final – for the first time ever in a Grand Slam tournament.
Polish tennis player Iga Świątek has continued her winning streak at the French Open and reached the final of the Grand Slam tournament on clay for the third time in a row. The 23-year-old won her semi-final match against Coco Gauff from the USA 6:2, 6:4. “It was intense, very close in the second set. I’m very happy that I stuck to my tactics, didn’t think too much and finished it,” said Świątek.
In the final on Saturday (3pm/Eurosport) The world number one can celebrate her fourth triumph at the Stade Roland Garros since 2020. There, the Pole will face the tournament surprise Jasmine Paolini from Italy. The 28-year-old defeated the 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva 6:3, 6:1 in the second semi-final. “I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but I gradually became more and more relaxed,” said Paolini happily.
Jasmine Paolini quickly got over her nervousness.
(Photo: REUTERS)
So far, reaching the round of 16 at the 2024 Australian Open was her best Grand Slam result. Now she has the chance to become the second Italian to triumph in Paris after Francesca Schiavone in 2010. “I may be a little older than others, but the most important thing in sport is that you have dreams,” said Paolini before her final debut.
Gauff sheds a few tears during the match
With her 20th consecutive victory in a French Open match, Świątek has caught up with German tennis icon Steffi Graf (1987 to 1989). However, the Pole is still nine wins away from the record set by American Chris Evert. Gauff, number two in the WTA rankings as of Monday, still has a chance of winning the title after her semi-final defeat in Paris. In the women’s doubles, the US Open winner is in the semi-finals with Czech Katerina Siniakova against her compatriots Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk.
Gauff had already shed a few tears during the match. With the score at 2:1 and 0:15, a decision by the chair umpire upset her so much that she had to dry her moist eyes with her tennis wristband. “She’s only human and she’s 20 years young. I felt incredibly sorry for her, she was really desperate,” said former national coach Barbara Rittner on Eurosport.
The audience also reacted with some incomprehension. “They’re booing because you’re wrong,” Gauff said to the referee, who interpreted the timing of the call differently than the US player. With anger in her stomach, Gauff then broke to take a 3-1 lead – but Świątek hit back ice cold and won four games in a row. After 1:37 hours, she used her fourth match point. It was already her eleventh victory against Gauff; Świątek has not won more against any other player on the tour.