Tim Henman pinpoints one area where Iga Swiatek proved she was ahead of Emma Raducanu during their French Open match

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Iga Swiatek was looking to extend her winning run at the French Open to 23 matches.

The Polish star traveled to Paris low on form and confidence, but quickly reminded fans why she is a four-time French Open champion.

In her opener, Swiatek beat Rebecca Sramkova, 6-3, 6-3, to set up an intriguing second-round clash with Emma Raducanu.

Dominating the Brit on Court Philippe Chatrier, Swiatek took down Raducanu in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to advance to the round of 32.

After the match, one former ATP star highlighted the key area where Swiatek outperformed Raducanu at Roland Garros.

Tim Henman says Iga Swiatek has ‘greater ball-striking capabilities’ than Emma Raducanu

Speaking on TNT Sports, former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman shared his thoughts on Raducanu’s defeat to Swiatek.

“I think when she’s able to reflect on the clay court season, she’ll take away a lot of positives. Right now, the defeat is going to be pretty raw. She’s out on Chatrier playing the greatest clay court player of her generation, and it was a one-sided contest,” said Henman.

“There were glimmers of opportunity, but at the end of the day, [Iga] Swiatek really emphasized her greater ball-striking capabilities, how she’s able to hit so hard, so aggressively, and keep the unforced errors out of it.

“It’s a tough day at the office for Emma [Raducanu], but I’m sure she’ll bounce back very quickly.”

Henman went on to praise Swiatek for her performance, who proved the doubters wrong with another stellar display.

“There have definitely been question marks around Swiatek coming into this tournament, but when she goes out onto that court, where she’s got so much history, so much confidence, that’s the Swiatek performance that we’ve come to expect here at Roland Garros,” he said.

“I’m sure she treated that match, treated Raducanu with the utmost respect, I think it showed in her consistency, her concentration, and it was a resounding victory.”

Swiatek’s win was her fifth against the Brit as she continued to dominate their head-to-head.

Looking for the positives in Raducanu’s defeat, Henman reflected on how he used to deal with losses at the French Open.

“I always felt that was the upside, losing at Roland Garros meant that you could put away the clay court shoes, get the grass court shoes out,” he said.

“I’m sure she’ll have a couple of days perhaps, to rest if she feels she needs to recharge the batteries, then she’ll get on the grass where she’s got so much confidence and experience.”

Raducanu is scheduled to return to action at the Queen’s Club tournament on grass, which begins on June 9.

Iga Swiatek felt like she could do ‘whatever she wanted to’ during win over Emma Raducanu in Paris

Swiatek was pleased to secure her spot in the third round and shared her thoughts on the match during her on-court interview.

“I felt on court, I felt I can do whatever I planned to, whatever I wanted to,” she said.

“I just needed to adjust to the wind because the conditions were pretty tricky today, so I’m happy that I did that well, and I’m through.”

The Pole was then asked to explain how she performs so well at the French Open, having just notched her 23rd consecutive win at the event.

“I don’t know, you guys tell me,” answered Swiatek.

“Probably the top spin that I play.

“I love playing here, this place really inspires me, it makes me work harder, I feel that having some time off before helped me a little bit. I’m ready to fight for it and compete.”

Swiatek then shared what she plans to do on her day off before returning for her third-round match on Friday.

“For sure practising pretty early so I can spend the whole day chilling, nothing special,” she said.

“I don’t go out right before the match, just go to the park, do some Legos, read a book, and not watch too many TV shows because then I have weird dreams.

“Got to stick to the things that calm me down, Paris is beautiful, just walking outside is already a nice experience, so not overthinking it.”

The four-time champion will surely be dreaming of a fifth, but won’t want to get too far ahead of herself, as she prepares to take on either Sara Bejlek or Jaqueline Cristian on Friday, May 30.