By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek [1] def Jasmine Paolini [12] 6-2 6-1
- Iga Swiatek admitted she is a ‘perfectionist’ and spoke about handling pressure after winning a fifth Grand Slam title
PARIS, FRANCE – Iga Swiatek unleashed her inner ‘perfectionist’ to win a fourth Roland Garros title after thrashing Jasmine Paolini.
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Iga Swiatek [1] def Jasmine Paolini [12] 6-2 6-1
Iga Swiatek is the Roland Garros champion for a third consecutive time and a fourth time overall after losing just three games against Jasmine Paolini. The title also seals a fifth Grand Slam title as well as completing the trio of clay court titles having won Madrid and Rome.
Despite the difference in experience, quality and form, it was Paolini who made the quicker start to the contest. The Italian was aggressive on the forehand and extended the rallies which caused Swiatek initial problems. Paolini was confident in her play, executing her tactics well and broke as she took an early 2-1 lead. An incredible start from the Italian who was playing in her first Grand Slam final and took the match to the best player in the world. That was the good news.
The bad news was that awakened Swiatek who was on a mission to create more history and the Pole went to work in demolishing Paolini’s morale. Top-spin forehands, sharp movement, aggressive shots inside the baseline and impressive angles saw Swiatek dominate Paolini’s game.
All of the sudden the Italian was left behind and Swiatek stormed ahead like a formula one driver as Paolini’s basic yet consistent game had no answer for the Pole’s clinical striking. A run of five games in a row saw this once competitive final turn into one-way traffic as Swiatek completed the opening set in 35 minutes.
Determined to make this final a complete rout, Swiatek channelled her inner Rafael Nadal as she punished Paolini even more with her aggressive baseline play. The world number one never really lost ground on the baseline as she ran the Italian ragged from side-to-side extending her run of games to ten.
Motivated not to be the latest customer in the Swiatek bagel bakery, Paolini produced some stunning point construction to gain a consolation game to the crowd’s clear delight as the Italian somehow conjured up a smile. However it was to be the world number one’s day as she converted her first match point to win a third consecutive title in Paris.
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Swiatek praises inner ‘perfectionist’ for handling Grand Slam pressure
Pressure is a privilege they say and Swiatek has nailed that saying down perfectly as she tied Justine Henin for Roland Garros titles.
Another incredible tournament for Swiatek as she finishes the clay court season having won the three biggest titles on the surface.
After the match Swiatek spoke about her inner perfectionism and how she handles the pressure of a Grand Slam final.
“When I do anything, I want to do it 100 per cent. I think when you’re a perfectionist, you are a perfectionist everywhere,” Swiatek explained to the Roland Garros website.
“I’m working on it and this is a tricky thing, because for sure it helps you to be better, but sometimes it can be huge baggage. I think I’m fine handling my own pressure. It’s when the pressure from the outside hits me, then it’s a little bit worse. But I managed it really well at this tournament, I’m very proud of that.”
Another incredible milestone for Swiatek especially considering she had to save match point against Naomi Osaka in the second round.
After securing a third consecutive title in Paris, the question remains as to who can stop this incredible streak of the world number one?
Struggling for answers, let Swiatek suggest a few names herself as she will be desperate for rivals to step up to her dominance in the future.
“I think we already have some players that I’ve been facing a lot, like Aryna (Sabalenka), Coco (Gauff), Elena (Rybakina),” Swiatek suggested to the Roland Garros website.
“So, it’s not like we don’t have that but for sure it’s not so obvious like Roger (Federer), Novak (Djokovic), and Rafa (Nadal). Sometimes it’s the draw, sometimes it’s the fact that one player is going to play well here, one player is going to play well in another place.
“So I can for sure imagine that (a rivalry), but I don’t know which of these players that would be or maybe somebody new. We’ll see.”
Swiatek may be lacking rivals on clay but she definitely will have rivals on grass as she is yet to conquer the surface.
However as the Pole noted, last year’s quarter-final result at Wimbledon will give Swiatek belief that a title at SW19 isn’t too far away.
“I had these ideas, like doing pre-season on grass so I can learn how to play there. Last year’s result was pretty nice,” Swiatek analysed to the Roland Garros website.
“I feel like every year it’s easier for me to adapt to grass. So I think there is no need to do that. I just need to continue the work that I’ve been doing, and it’s been easier every year, especially with my coach who, with (Agnieszka) Radwanska, they had great results on grass.
“For sure it’s a huge challenge. If I would lose here earlier, maybe I would be able to play two more weeks on grass and then be a better grass player, but if I would choose, I love playing on clay, so I’m not going to give up that ever.”
Paolini describes Roland Garros run as ‘happy moment.’
It was disappointment for Paolini but try telling the energetic Italian to be sad after a run to a first Grand Slam final.
Not only a massive milestone in terms of result but Paolini will now be a top ten player for the first time in her career, climbing to seven in the world.
Speaking after the defeat, Paolini described the run as a ‘happy moment’ and is looking forward to the future.
“It’s a happy moment for me. It’s not a sad moment,” Paolini expressed to the Roland Garros website.
“I just lost the final, but I think I have to be happy with those two weeks, and my new ranking. To play a Grand Slam final, it’s beautiful. Let’s see what the future will bring to me. Throughout this year I have been more consistent, I think that helped me to also take chances when the chances are coming.”
After a positive run, the challenge for Paolini will be to maintain this level that she has produced over the last fortnight.
Speaking after the final, Paolini spoke about the need to keep her consistency and spoke about the lessons she can learn from Swiatek.
“Because I think it’s the most important thing to step on court every day and try to improve and to keep this consistency. Because if you stop I think the consistency will stop with you,” Paolini expressed to the Roland Garros website.
“I think that my goal right now is to try to keep this level, to, let’s say, play against Iga one more time. I don’t know where. It can be second round, can be first round. I don’t care. I think playing against her can give me something to add things to my game. It’s challenging, but at the same time, I can understand more about what I have to improve.”
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