2024 French Open Day 14: Iga Swiatek v Jasmine Paolini For Women’s Title

The French Open women’s title match once again comes do to a first-time Slam finalist, this time Jasmine Paolini, trying to stop the run of Iga Swiatek.

Swiatek enters the final on a torrid run of 18 straight match wins and at the French Open, she’s won her last 20 (34-2 overall). The world No. 1 is also a sparkling 21-4 in finals winning her last nine.

She’s also crushed the Italian in both meetings, though they took place in 2022 and 2018.

“Iga is an unbelievable player,” Paolini said on Thursday. “So young, but so many achievements – and Grand Slams.”

Swiatek had a problem with Naomi Osaka indoors in the second round, but that’s the only set she’s lost. With the weather warmer and drier, she’s upped her game and the results show — she’s dropped eight games in her last six sets!

“I need to prepare tactically and see what her game is at now because for sure she’s had the best season,” Swiatek cautioned.

“So she must have changed something. Honestly, I haven’t watched her matches. I’ll just focus on myself and prepare tactically and try to be consistent with my tactics.”

Paolini, on the other hand, comes in five years older at age 28. She’s part of an emerging Italian presence in the last week of Slams, following in the footsteps of her predecessors like former French winner Francesca Schiavone and US Open champion Flavia Pennetta plus her doubles partner Sara Errani — they are in the women’s doubles final.

“Of course, I was watching the other Italians make it in the finals and also won Grand Slams,” Paolini said. “But imagine that can be myself was tough. Of course, I wished, but now it’s something crazy for me.”

She’s never even won a clay title before.

“It’s a great feeling to be in a Grand Slam final,” Paolini added. “It seems something impossible, but it’ true.”

The diminutive Paolini had never been past the third round at a Grand Slam until her run in Melbourne. And now she’s gone far further after stunning Elena Rybakina then rolling the teen Mirra Andreeva.

Earlier this year, she stunned the tennis world with a title in Dubai.

Now, Italy has a chance at another Slam winner this year after Jannik Sinner‘s triumph at the Australian Open. And she had lost to Andreeva in April, and then dropped just four games in the rematch.

“Today I was so nervous,” Paolini said Thursday. “It was a different match against Mirra than against Elena. It was a really tough match mentally and physically because she’s so consistent.

“But I step on court, and I try to hit the ball, to move fast, to be in the present, to play point-by-point. Then when I break her in the first set, I started to feel better and better.”

FRENCH OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL SCHEDULE
Samedi 8 Juin
Court Philippe-CHATRIER – Début à 11h00
F Diede DE GROOT (NED)[1] contre Zhenzhen ZHU (CHN)

Pas avant 15h00
WS F Iga SWIATEK (POL)[1] contre Jasmine PAOLINI (ITA)[12]
MD F Marcelo AREVALO (ESA) / Mate PAVIC (CRO) [9] contre Simone BOLELLI (ITA)/ Andrea VAVASSORI (ITA)[11]