World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ended Iga Swiatek‘s 26-0 winning streak at Roland Garros, emphatically bageling the defending champion in the third set of their semifinal for a 7-6(1) 4-6 6-0 victory.
Swiatek made an erratic and very weak start to the match, serving a double fault to hand Sabalenka a break in the opening game. The Belarusian then quickly surged to a double-break 3-0 lead within just 10 minutes, looking dominant and confident.
Swiatek showed signs of resistance in the fourth game, breaking Sabalenka to cut the deficit to 1-3. However, Sabalenka immediately struck back with another break to reassert her control at 4-1.
A pivotal moment came at 4-1 40-30, when a serve initially called an ace by Sabalenka was overturned by the chair umpire, who ruled it a let. The controversial decision appeared to rattle Sabalenka’s focus, while Swiatek seized the momentum and reeled off four straight games.
Sabalenka briefly halted Swiatek’s surge with a composed love hold for 5-5. She then managed to break Swiatek once more, only to be broken right back as Swiatek forced a tiebreak in what had become a fiercely contested set.
In the end, Sabalenka reset and dominated the tiebreak with a commanding 7-1 performance, clinching the opening set after 71 rollercoaster minutes.
The second set began with a flurry of breaks, starting with Swiatek striking first. Three consecutive breaks set the tone for a chaotic opening, but it was the Pole who steadied herself, holding serve to consolidate her lead. In the end, Swiatek wrapped up the set confidently with a love hold, leveling the match at one set apiece.
However, any momentum Swiatek had quickly vanished in the decider. In a shocking turn, Sabalenka completely dominated the third set, allowing Swiatek to win just six points in total! It marked the first bagel set in their 13 career meetings.
Swiatek, widely regarded as the Queen of Clay, had claimed the French Open title in four of the last five years.
The picture of Sabalenka’s asinine and ugly screaming is perfect. She uses it the same way Sharapova did – to rattle and distract her opponent. It should be outlawed. I will not watch her matches. Can’t stand hearing her idiotic bellowing.
Zheng also complained about Sabalenka’s grunting in the press conference following their match. I don’t normally have an issue with grunting, and think the women are unfairly criticised for it when the male players engage in it also. But I have to agree with you Terry, Sabalenka’s grunt is very deliberate and very fake and used as a means to intimidate her opponent.
I find watching her quite unpleasant because the screaming is so aggressive. I have seen her live and I can understand that her opponents could complain. It is the worst I’ve heard, worse than Sharapova or Azarenka.