Iga Swiatek gives hilarious response when asked if she’d rather play Jelena Ostapenko or Elena Rybakina at Roland Garros

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Iga Swiatek continues to produce her best tennis at the French Open and now prepares for her fourth-round match.

Having won the title on her three previous visits to Roland Garros, many questioned whether the pressure would be too much for Swiatek to handle in 2025.

Her opening three matches seem to have answered those questions, as Swiatek has yet to drop a set in the French capital.

After defeating Rebecca Sramkova in the first round, Swiatek beat Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 to book her spot in round three.

There, Swiatek took down Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets, advancing to her seventh French Open fourth-round match.

During her post-match press conference, Swiatek was asked which of her potential fourth-round opponents, Elena Rybakina or Jelena Ostapenko, she’d prefer to play.

Iga Swiatek bursts out laughing when asked if she’d prefer to play Jelena Ostapenko or Elena Rybakina

Kazakh star Rybakina was closing in on victory over Ostapenko when Swiatek was asked for her thoughts on her two potential fourth-round opponents.

“Elena [Rybakina] is winning, so yeah, we’ll see who wins, but for sure both of them are great players, we’ve been playing for many years, a lot of matches,” said Swiatek.

“Both matches are going to be a challenge. Let’s see who wins.”

A reporter then asked whether Swiatek had a preference between Ostapenko and Rybakina.

“No,” she answered.

Swiatek couldn’t keep a straight face, as she and the rest of the room burst out laughing.

“Am I a good liar?” she asked.

“Let’s see, it doesn’t matter really. Oh my god, I couldn’t play poker!”

In reality, Swiatek likely did have a preference, having lost all six of her WTA Tour matches with Ostapenko.

As hard as she’s tried, Swiatek hasn’t been able to solve the Ostapenko puzzle, as she’ll no doubt have been dreading a potential seventh career meeting with the Latvian in Paris.

Luckily, Rybakina spared Swiatek the headache, dominating Ostapenko in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.

Swiatek’s record against Rybakina is much closer, with the pair level at 4-4 after eight matches.

Only time will tell who will come out on top when they face off for a place in the quarterfinals on Sunday, June 1.

Iga Swiatek gives her verdict on the lack of women’s matches on Chatrier’s night sessions

Swiatek and Rybakina don’t yet know when they’ll be playing their match on Sunday, but if the first week of the tournament is anything to go by, they’re unlikely to be scheduled for the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The French Open tournament organisers have been widely criticised for their failure to schedule any women’s matches for the ‘prime-time’ slot on Chatrier.

When asked about the controversy during her post-match press conference, Swiatek shared her honest thoughts.

“Well, I think it should be equal. Personally, it’s not like I have big feelings about it, because I just do my job and adjust to the schedule that I am given,” she said.

“But I think that it should be equal because the women’s matches can be entertaining the same way, as you could see today in my match, they were giving waves and everything.

“So people like it, we can put on a nice show, and that’s why I think it should be equal. That’s it.”

Fans were entertained throughout Swiatek’s third-round win over Cristian on Friday, as the Pole won 6-2, 7-5.

Swiatek and Cristian were the second match on Suzanne-Lenglen, a scheduling move she would likely have been pleased with.

The 23-year-old has spoken openly about how she prefers to play during the day, arguing it gives her more time to rest in the evenings.

Therefore, it is unlikely we’ll see Rybakina and Swiatek’s fourth-round match selected for the controversial night session slot on Chatrier.