Iga Świątek's French Open Dominance Is Reaching Rafael Nadal Levels

Only Nadal reached 40 career match wins at the French Open faster than Iga Świątek.

Only Nadal reached 40 career wins at Roland Garros quicker than Świątek. / Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Iga Świątek is entering Rafael Nadal territory when it comes to her dominance of the clay courts at the French Open.

Świątek, who on Tuesday dispatched the 13-seeded Elina Svitolina in straight sets to advance to the French Open semifinal, also reached a career milestone with the victory. The Polish tennis star now has 40 career wins at Roland Garros. Świątek is now tied with 11-time major winner Björn Borg as the second-fastest player (42 matches) to reach 40 career wins at Roland Garros, trailing only Nadal (41 matches), according to The Tennis Letter. 

The win was Świątek's 26th consecutive at the French Open, which has become her happy place. She has not won a singles title yet this season and had fallen outside the top four players in the world for the first time since February of 2022.

But, much as it did for the legendary Nadal, the French Open is curing all that had ailed Świątek. Her 95.2% career winning percentage at Roland Garros is the highest in women's singles in the Open Era, according to the WTA. And while there is beginning to become a certain level of Nadal-esque inevitability to her game in Paris, a test awaits Świątek in the semifinal against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set to this point in the tournament.

Świątek and Sabalenka will tango in the semifinals on Thursday.

---

More on Sports Illustrated

feed