Iga Swiatek became just the third woman in the Open Era to win three straight French Open titles with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 victory over first-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Already proudly sporting the 'queen of clay' label after her Roland-Garros triumphs in 2020, 2022 and 2023 - not to mention her successes in Madrid and Rome this year - the world number one suffered the first break of the match but was irrepressible thereafter. Now joining Monica Seles and Justine Henin as the third woman to triumph in three consecutive French Opens, Swiatek is now a four-time Roland-Garros winner and five-time major champion, subjecting the 12th seed to a merciless masterclass in the French capital.
While there was no famed bagel for Swiatek, the 23-year-old's status as French Open champion was never in doubt, and here, Sports Mole analyses Swiatek's exhilarating performance on Court Philippe-Chatrier. First break: Paolini 🇮🇹 #RolandGarros pic.twitter.
com/uIXEslgzl4 Characteristically aggressive from the off, Swiatek reeled off some early backhand and forehand winners to seal an immediate hold to 30 and bring up a first break point in Paolini's opening service game, but the Italian survived as a Swiatek backhand clipped the net tape and landed wide. The forehand then began to fail the world number one in the third game, where Paolini drew her in with a drop shot and fashioned two unexpected break points, taking her first opportunity as a forehand.