Iga Swiatek may not have held onto the French Open trophy, but her commanding performance at Roland Garros reaffirmed her status as the world number one and her unwavering hold on the women’s tennis circuit.
The 22-year-old Polish player secured her third title in four years at the clay-court Grand Slam, battling through a tough match against Czech opponent Karolina Muchova to claim a hard-fought victory of 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 on Saturday.
While the match didn’t go entirely according to plan for Swiatek, who held a 6-2, 3-0 lead before Muchova mounted a comeback, the world number one managed to regain her composure when it mattered most.
In the decisive moments, she won the final three games, despite facing a breakdown in the decider. However, another unexpected moment of panic ensued during the post-match celebrations.
As Swiatek vigorously shook the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen while celebrating, the lid of the trophy flew off, prompting a brief moment of fear on her face. With a smile, the four-time major champion attributed the mishap to the overwhelming emotions she experienced, stating, “I honestly felt like I was holding it with my finger, so I guess all the emotions caused that.”
Looking at the trophy during her news conference, Swiatek apologized, saying, “Sorry. I don’t mean to be disrespectful. I’m glad the trophy is fine, and it won’t happen again — probably. I just hope I’m going to have a chance to hold it again in future years.”
With her recent display of dominance on the Paris clay, that possibility seems quite strong. Swiatek has emerged as the standout player on the WTA Tour over the past 15 months, taking over the world number one ranking from Ashleigh Barty and maintaining it for an impressive 62 consecutive weeks.
This season, she faced fierce competition from Belarusian Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and Kazakhstani Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina. Collectively referred to as the emerging “big three” of the Women’s Tennis Association, the trio has claimed the last five major titles and has been leading the tour this year.
However, Swiatek remains focused on her own game and dismisses the notion of comparisons or rivalries. When asked about the emerging “big three,” she stated, “I don’t really analyze that. I know that this is something that you guys created, and I understand that fans love that. I’m trying to just be focused on my work. I look at my clay-court season, and I see that at every tournament, I played consistently. I’m focused on myself and I don’t care about the other two players.”
Clay is undoubtedly Swiatek’s forte, and she appeared to be on track for another straightforward victory in her third Roland Garros final. After taking a set and a break lead, she seemed destined for a quick win until the resilient Muchova fought back, turning the match into a competitive affair.
Despite showing signs of tension in the deciding set and falling behind at 4-3, Swiatek demonstrated her resilience and determination to emerge victorious. “After so many ups and downs, I kind of stopped thinking about the score,” she explained. “I wanted to use my intuition more because I knew that I can play a little bit better if I’m going to get a little bit more loosened up. It helped, for sure, in the third set.”
At just 22 years old, Swiatek became the youngest woman since Monica Seles in the early 1990s to win consecutive Roland Garros titles. Tournament director
