Iga Swiatek has moved one step closer to defending her Roland Garros title after beating Elina Svitolina.
Swiatek was proud to beat Svitolina, doing so in straight sets after suffering a scare in her previous match.
The four-time Roland Garros champion was close to being knocked out of the clay court major, after Swiatek made errors against Elena Rybakina.
However, she has now overcome two seeded players in back-to-back matches, leaving Swiatek as one of the favourites to win the Roland Garros title once again.
Mats Wilander has spotted what Iga Swiatek is doing differently at Roland Garros
There has been a lot of discussion around Swiatek coming into Roland Garros this year, with the Pole suffering some surprise defeats at tournaments in Madrid and Rome.
Swiatek has been unable to reach a final since winning Roland Garros last year, and as a result has dropped down to world number five, her lowest ranking since 2022.
However, after Swiatek beat Svitolina 6-1 7-5, former world number one Mats Wilander explained that she has made an important change.
Although Wilander believes this is an improvement for Swiatek, he thinks she will have to get even better to beat her next opponent Aryna Sabalenka.
“She has been better,” Wilander said on TNT Sports. “She is a little further behind the baseline than she has been the last few months or the last year, and she hasn’t made a final in 12 months which is unbelievable.
“She is playing better. Is she playing great? Not yet but she hasn’t had to play great yet. She is going to have to play great against Sabalenka but I think her confidence is skyrocketing with these wins.”
The wind was also a factor for Swiatek against Svitolina, with Wilander impressed by the way that she adapted her game to use the conditions to her advantage.
“I liked that she is playing with more shape on the ball,” continued Wilander. “I don’t like it when she is uber aggressive and trying to outhit players.
“I like when she spins it and works the angles and she is great in the wind. With the wind she can spin it up high on the forehand and backhand side and then she can get the short ball.
“In to the wind she can free up and smack it. It’s perfect for her. A lot of players don’t like the wind but she likes the wind.”
Iga Swiatek matches Serena Williams record after beating Elina Svitolina
This is the sixth consecutive year that Swiatek has reached the semi-finals of the French Open, as she also seeks a fourth title in a row in Paris.
Swiatek’s win over Svitolina was her 26th consecutive victory at Roland Garros, a record that can only be matched by one player.
That player is 23-time champion Serena Williams, who won 26 matches in a row at the US Open between 2012 and 2015.
Williams was stunned by Roberta Vinci when her run came to an end at the 2015 semi-finals, and Swiatek will be hoping to surpass her when she plays her next match.
That match will be against world number one Sabalenka, in a first-time meeting between the pair at Roland Garros.
In their overall head-to-head, Swiatek leads Sabalenka after beating her eight times in their 12 previous meetings.
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