Iga Swiatek’s French Open winning streak has come to an end.
The Pole was aiming to win a fifth French Open title and a fourth overall, and she had not lost at the tournament since 2021.
She battled her way to the semi-finals, where she came up against her fierce rival and World number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Following two close sets, the Belarusian stormed through the decider before to claim victory and reach her first final at Roland Garros, while Iga Swiatek lost just her third match at the clay court Grand Slam.
Tim Henman was left stunned by Iga Swiatek’s performance at the French Open
After coming back from a set and a break down to defeat Elena Rybakina in set one, Swiatek had to do it the hard way against Sabalenka.
The 27-year-old took the first set after dominating the tiebreak, before Swiatek tightened up her serve before claiming set two.
But the World number five lost her way and began spraying unforced errors all over the court in set three, which she lost without losing a game, and this cost her the match.
The World number five managed to win just six points in the entirety of set three, and commentator Tim Henman could not believe it.
“I think the onus is probably more on Sabalenka. I think because of her ball striking and the way she was able to dominate proceedings it was incredible,” the Brit told TNT Sports.
“Swiatek rarely loses sets on clay let alone a 6-0 set. Some of the stats were absolutely staggering. Swiatek only won six points in that final set.
“There were 30 points played, you need 24 to win a set. Sabalenka won 24, Swiatek only won six. I mean in the semis of a slam, one set all, on her favourite court, that is a staggering outcome.”
Aryna Sabalenka matches Serena Williams feat after beating Iga Swiatek to reach French Open final
Sabalenka claimed her fifth win over Swiatek and her second on clay to reach the French Open final.
She will take on World number two Coco Gauff, who ended the fairytale run of French wildcard Lois Boisson.
With her latest win Sabalenka has now reached three successive Grand Slam finals dating back to the 2024 US Open.
She is the first player to achieve this feat since Serena Williams, who advanced to the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals in 2016.
Williams won one of these finals, while Sabalenka will be aiming for her second win in her streak as she competes for the title in Paris on Saturday.
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