Sabalenka ends Swiatek's run in epic Roland-Garros semi-final

Aryna Sabalenka has powerfully asserted her status as the world No. 1, ending Iga Swiatek's remarkable Roland-Garros reign with a hard-fought 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 victory to secure her place in her maiden final in Paris. This triumph snapped Swiatek's formidable 26-match winning streak at the tournament, which included three consecutive titles.

"Honestly, it feels incredible but also the job is not done yet," Sabalenka told Mats Wilander on court after the match. "I'm just thrilled with the performance today, with this win, and with the atmosphere in the stadium. She’s the toughest opponent, especially on the clay, especially at Roland-Garros. I’m proud that I was able to get this win.”

Sabalenka started strong, breaking Swiatek's serve twice and nearly going up 5-1 in the first set. However, Swiatek battled back, winning three consecutive games to level the score and force a tiebreak. Despite both players showing some discomfort on serve in the lengthy 69-minute opening set, it was Sabalenka who dominated the tiebreak, taking it convincingly 7-1.

Swiatek regrouped effectively in the second set, coming out aggressively. She broke Sabalenka's serve early and held her own serve to love, pushing the match to a decisive third set. Notably, Swiatek even introduced a rare drop shot into her game, a tactic that has been absent recently.

MORE FROM FANATİK

Gauff ends Boisson's fairytale run to reach second Roland-Garros final

It was then Sabalenka's turn to regroup, and she did so spectacularly. Her first serve percentage improved dramatically, and she secured an early break to establish a commanding 3-0 lead. The scoreboard pressure seemingly affected Swiatek, whose serve faltered, allowing Sabalenka to break again to love. The final games were tough for Swiatek, who managed to win only six points in the entire third set, leaving the usually vocal Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd in hushed silence.

Swiatek: 'She played as hard as possible'

Swiatek reflected on the match, acknowledging Sabalenka's aggressive play: "The pace was from her super fast. For sure, especially at the beginning of the match, she played, you know, just kind of as hard as possible and and pretty risky. So it was just hard to get into any rally." She admitted that while she was able to build rallies in the second set, the third set saw her unable to "keep up what I was doing in second set," with Sabalenka effectively capitalizing on her chances.

This semifinal clash marked the first time these two top players had met this year. Their only previous Grand Slam encounter was at the 2022 US Open, where Swiatek ultimately went on to win the title. Sabalenka entered Roland-Garros fresh off a clay-court title win in Madrid, while Swiatek has yet to win a tournament this year. Sabalenka will now face Coco Gauff in her first Roland-Garros final.