Teenager Iga Swiatek has become the lowest-ranked women’s finalist at the French Open since the WTA computer rankings began in 1975 as she roared past Argentine qualifier Nadia Podoroska 6-1 6-2 at Roland Garros.
Swiatek has won all 12 sets she’s played in the tournament and dropped merely 23 games through a half-dozen matches so far.
When this 70-minute tour de force ended before a crowd in the hundreds at Court Philippe Chatrier – there was a daily limit on spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic – Swiatek asked for more noise, waving her arms and cupping a hand to her ear.
In Saturday’s final, Swiatek will face a seeded opponent who already has been a Grand Slam champion: No. 4 Sofia Kenin or No. 7 Petra Kvitova, who were scheduled to play each other later on Thursday.
Swiatek versus Podoroska was the first women’s semifinal at Roland Garros between unseeded opponents since 1983 – but only Swiatek truly seemed ready for the stage.
Podoroska is ranked 131st, had never won a main-draw Grand Slam match until this event and was the first female qualifier in the professional era to get to the final four in Paris.
This was no fluke. Swiatek, who listens to “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses in her headphones before stepping out on court, had eliminated 2018 champion and No. 1 seed Simona Halep 6-1 6-2 in the fourth round, after defeating 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova by the same score in the first.
Swiatek has been on the rise, and the tennis world’s radar, for a couple of years now.
In 2018, she won the Wimbledon junior singles title and the French Open junior doubles title.
Swiatek is tremendous at the baseline, picking up balls early and smacking big groundstrokes with thick top-spin.
Her power was too much on this breezy afternoon, accounting for a 23-6 edge in winners against Podoroska, a 23-year-old from Rosario, the same hometown as soccer superstar Lionel Messi.
Another key to success for Swiatek, whose father was an Olympic rower, is her returning ability.
Swiatek entered this contest averaging 5.4 breaks per match and she added five more to her total.
Then there’s a less-measurable factor – Swiatek’s competitiveness and grit. The one time she lost a service game, making it 4-1 in the second set, she swiped at the dirt near the baseline with her racket. It took no time for her to regain her composure.
