The only time she looked even the slightest bit shaken
Saturday at Court Philippe Chatrier was after her 6-1, 6-3 victory against Coco
Gauff in the final was finished, pushing the No. 1-ranked Swiatek’s winning
streak to 35 matches and her French Open title count to two.
That’s when the tears flowed, first during the Polish
national anthem — Swiatek is the only player from that nation to win a Grand
Slam singles title — and, again, during the trophy ceremony.
“I just told Coco, ‘Don’t cry,’” said Swiatek, who claimed
the 2020 French Open while still a teen and ranked outside the top 50, “and
what am I doing right now?”
She interrupted herself a few times during her victory
speech, at one point admonishing, “Oh, my God. It seems like I still need some
experience.” But Swiatek also gathered her thoughts well enough to offer
support and wishes of hope for Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February.
“Stay strong, because the world is still there,” Swiatek
told Ukrainians, whose blue-and-yellow flag is represented by a ribbon of those
colors she has been wearing on her white cap during matches.
Gauff, an American appearing in her first major final at age
18, and just weeks removed from celebrating her high school graduation with
cap-and-gown photos near the Eiffel Tower, never stood much of a chance — like
most opponents against Swiatek lately.
Swiatek’s unbeaten run stretches back to February and equals
one by Venus Williams in 2000 as the longest this century.
“The past couple months have truly been amazing and you
totally deserve it,” said the 18th-seeded Gauff, now 0-3 against Swiatek, told
her 21-year-old opponent, then added with a chuckle: “Hopefully we can play
each other in more finals, and maybe I can get a win on you one of these days.”
Having won her past six tournaments, improving to 42-3 this
season, Swiatek has emerged as a dominant figure in tennis, with 23-time Grand
Slam champion Serena Williams out of action for nearly a year and three-time
major champ Ash Barty announcing in March she would retire at age 25 and
relinquish the No. 1 ranking.
That allowed Swiatek to move up to the top of the WTA, and
she’s shown she is a deserving resident there.
“Two years ago, winning this title was something amazing.
Honestly, I wouldn’t expect it, ever,” Swiatek said. “But this time, I feel
like I worked hard and did everything to get here, even though it was pretty
tough. The pressure was big.”
On the warmest day of the tournament, with the temperature
at 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 Celsius), just a few puffs of white in the blue
sky at the outset turned into thick, foreboding gray clouds by the second set,
accompanied by a thunderclap.
Gauff did not get off to the best of starts, perhaps
reflecting early jitters that would be understandable coming from any player in
a debut on this stage.
The player on the other side of the net certainly had a lot
to do with the way things went over the final’s 1 hour, 8 minutes.
Swiatek broke serve right from the get-go, with plenty of
help from Gauff, who put a forehand into the net, double-faulted — eliciting
some sighs of “Awwwww” from the crowd — dumped a forehand into the net, and
pushed another forehand long.
When Gauff’s work-in-progress forehand betrayed her again,
it was 3-0 after just 15 minutes. Soon, it was 4-0 in Swiatek’s favor.
Not in all cases, of course, but often, the spectators at
Roland Garros tend to back an underdog or whichever player is trailing — both
of which applied to Gauff. So there was a surfeit of shouts of “Allez, Coco!”
One person yelled, “Coco, you can do it!” There were repeated cries of her
chant-ready, two-syllable first name.
When Gauff got on the board by holding to 4-1, the applause
and roar were suitable for the capture of a set, not simply one game.
“You guys supported me, even when I was down,” Gauff told
the fans afterward.
As things appeared to be getting away from her, Gauff
slapped her thigh or covered her eyes, shook her head or looked up toward her
parents in the stands.
What she never did was waver or concede anything.
Gauff began the second set by breaking Swiatek for the only
time, and then holding to go up 2-0. Might this transform into a much closer
contest? Might Gauff push Swiatek to a third set?
No. Swiatek quickly recalibrated and reasserted herself,
breaking back for 2-all as Gauff’s propensity for miscues returned. By the end,
Gauff had more unforced errors, 23-16, and also fewer winners: 14 for her, 18
for Swiatek.
Gauff hadn’t lost a set in the tournament and was averaging
nearly six breaks per match entering Saturday, but she only earned one break
point on this afternoon. Swiatek got 10, converting half.
Swiatek is not just winning, but winning easily, already
amassing 16 sets taken by a 6-0 score in 2022 — and it’s only early June.
She does it with a mix of a topspin-laden heavy forehand — a
la someone she admires greatly, 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who
will face Casper Ruud in the men’s final Sunday — and an all-court game, filled
with variety and an appreciation of setting up moves ahead of time during a
point. Much like a chess player, which she is.
Swiatek’s got other attributes, too, such as strong footwork
that allows her to play defense when required.
Also key to Swiatek’s presence, and swiftly burgeoning aura,
is her calmness on court. She has traveled on tour with a sports psychologist,
who was in Swiatek’s guest box on Saturday, and works on various elements of
her professional and personal lives.
That includes an emphasis on maintaining focus and setting
priorities, such as the determination that she is still too new at this whole
business of attempting to win Grand Slam titles that she decided it was best
not to attend the Champions League soccer final in Paris last weekend,
something Nadal did do.
Maybe a couple of years down the road, Swiatek surmised, a
night out might be a welcome distraction. For now, Swiatek said, she felt she
needed to keep all of her attention on tennis.
Why mess with success? -AP
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