Iga Swiatek just managed to keep her quest for a fifth French Open title alive.
The Pole took on the hard-hitting Elena Rybakina in the fourth round and the pair treated viewers to a thrilling contest.
The World number 11 made a scintillating start and took the first set for the loss of just one game.
She even went up a break in set two, but Swiatek showed her mettle to bounce back and outlast Rybakina, to seal victory.
Mats Wilander explains what Iga Swiatek is starting to do at the French Open just like Rafael Nadal
Iga Swiatek has struggled for form over the past year and she entered the French Open looking more vulnerable than she has for some time.
She failed to win any of the clay court events leading up to the Grand Slam and suffered some heavy defeats to the likes of Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins.
Swiatek was in trouble against Rybakina in Paris, but she found a way to turn the match around by extending the rallies and using her topspin and height over the net.
This impressed TNT Sports commentator and three-time French Open winner Mats Wilander, who thinks she needs to adopt a style of play similar to the tournament’s greatest player Rafael Nadal.
“She was down 1-6, 1-2 and then she started to slow things down,” the Swede said. “The average length of the rallies in the first set were three shots, and the average length in third sets were between five and six shots.
“That’s because Iga slowed things down and played with some more spin, that’s how she has won this title four times.
“She hasn’t won it by trying to go toe-to-toe with players like Rybakina and Sabalenka, she’s a clay court player and she needs to play court tennis, and she did it beautifully today.
“She needs to not challenge these ladies when it comes to hard hitting because her technique, to me, is not as good and she can’t hit through the court because she does spin the ball pretty heavily.
“She gets a little bit stressed when she doesn’t have time on the ball. But I think the way forward for her is to take a step back and start looping the ball, sort of like her idol Rafael Nadal.”
Who will Iga Swiatek play next?
Swiatek will take on Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina for a spot in the French Open semi-finals.
The 30-year-old has enjoyed a solid season, especially since the clay court season commenced.
She claimed the Open de Rouen title and semi-finals in Madrid and quarter-finals in Rome ahead of her arrival at Roland Garros.
Svitolina then caused one of the biggest upsets of the French Open by defeating Italian Open winner and 2024 French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini after saving match points.
Swiatek has won three of her four matches against Svitolina but given the form the Ukrainian is in, it could be another tough outing for the World number five.
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