World No. 1 Iga Swiatek cruises through to the French Open final with victory over Daria Kasatkina

Swiatek’s 34-match winning streak is the longest unbeaten run on the women’s tour since Serena Williams’ 34-match streak in 2013. If Swiatek wins the final, she would equal Venus Williams’ 21st century record of 35 straight wins, set in 2000.

In this latest victory, the 21-year-old comprehensively dismantled No. 20 seed Daria Kasatkina 6-2 6-1 in an hour and four minutes to reach her second French Open final where she will face either Coco Gauff or Martina Trevisan.

The Pole won her first grand slam title at Roland Garros in 2020 when she defeated Sofia Kenin 6-4 6-1.

“I try to treat every match the same way,” Swiatek said after the match. “If I realize it is one of the biggest matches of the season, it stresses me out, so I try to just focus on a task and I listen to music.”

It was the fourth time that these two players had faced each other this year, and on the previous three occasions, Swiatek had come out on top.

Daria Kasatkina hit 10 winners during the match, while Swiatek hit 22.

Kasatkina initially kept pace with the Polish phenomenon, pegging her to 2-2 in the first set before Swiatek took 10 of the next 11 games to seal the match.

Such was her dominance that the world No. 1 dropped just two points on her first serve during the first set while Kasatkina, who had not dropped a set all tournament, saw her forehand buckle under pressure and she conceded 24 unforced errors.

In total, Swiatek conceded just 11 points on her serve in the entire match, and four of those came in the only game in which she was broken. Kasatkina’s serve fared less well and was broken five times during the match.

“It is easier to play matches with this kind of support,” Swiatek said in front of a buoyant crowd on Philippe-Chatrier. “I’ve had it in every place I’ve played this year.

“It still surprises me as when I first started right after my first year was Covid and I wasn’t sure how many Polish people would come, so it still surprises me.”

The women’s final at Roland Garros is set for Saturday.

source: cnn.com