Swiatek Gets Retirement, Sets Gauff French Open QF, Jabeur Wins; Sabalenka v Svitolina Tues.
Iga Swiatek’s streak of 23 straight games won at the French Open came to end on Monday, but she’ll take it as shortly after her opponent, Lesia Tsurenko, withdrew down 5-1 due to a virus.
It’s not nice to finish a match like that,” Swiatek said. “So I hope Lesia is going to be okay and she’ll recover quickly.”
Tsurenko said she wasn’t feeling well.
“I have something like Rybakina had, a virus or whatever it is,” Tsurenko said. “My body could not handle it. I did everything possible to manage it, but unfortunately, it’s a different thing just to do normal things and play tennis.
“I could not practice yesterday. … It was tough for me to warm up, but I was hoping for just starting match and maybe I would feel a little bit better. But, unfortunately, it was getting worse, so I had to stop because it was not the way I wanted to be on court and to play tennis for sure.”
Swiatek, who came into the match having won three straight bagel sets, return to her third French Open quarterfinal. She’s now won her last 11 matches in Paris and up next will be a rematch of the 2022 final against Coco Gauff.
The American teen eased past an overmatched and error-prone Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 7-5, 6-2.
“The ideal would be to treat every match the same, no matter the ranking,” Gauff said in press. “Obviously I do think in the back of your head it does come into play where you’re playing someone No. 1 compared to somebody in the No. 100 range. You can’t treat the ranking as a ranking.
“She beat the seeds on her draw, her side of the draw, so you can’t approach it like that. But I do think from a mental standpoint it’s slightly different.
“Today was honestly a difficult match. I mean, as every match is. But the wind was something that I wasn’t really that prepared for it going in. The one side was gusting like really crazy. Usually, I like to play in the wind, to be honest, but it wasn’t something I was prepared for. Overall, I’m happy with how I played.”
Swiatek leads Gauff 6-0 and 12-0 in sets.
“This is a totally different year, totally different tournament,” Swiatek said. “I have to be ready regardless of what happened last year.”
Said Gauff, “I have to rewatch that match because I don’t think I’ve played her on clay since, I’ve played her on other surfaces… I don’t know if the surface will matter that much. So I will rewatch some previous matches to see where I’ve gone wrong.”
Earlier, Ons Jabeur hammered Bernarda Pera 6-3, 6-1 to reach her first French Open quarter.
Beatriz Haddad Maia was the story of the day outlasting Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-7(3-7), 6-3, 7-5 in 3h51m in the longest women’s match of 2023. The lefty becomes the first Brazilian into the French Open last eight in 55 years since Maria Bueno.
“I think I work very hard my body, as well, so I believe in myself when we have tough moments,” Haddad Maia said. “I had a lot of matches more than three hours in my career also. Yeah, as long as the match goes, I think I’m stronger. So yeah, I think it’s one of my qualities.”
On Tuesday, quarterfinals get underway with No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka takeing on Elina Svitolina. The two have split two battles on tour.
And former finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will meet Karolina Muchova.
You Might Like:
Sakkari, Sabalenka Open With Wins At WTA Finals; Swiatek, Gauff Tues.
Sakkari Sacks Sabalenka To Reach SFs, Jabeur Over Pegula; Swiatek, Coco Back Thurs.
Sabalenka Moves Into French SF Against Muchova; Swiatek v Gauff QF
Garcia Upends Gauff Again, Swiatek Wins At WTA Finals; Sakkari v Sabalenka Wed.
Sabalenka Advances To Last 4 Of WTA Finals; Garcia v Kasatkina For Last SF Spot