Iga Swiatek’s pursuit of a fourth consecutive French Open title continued after coming back from a set down to defeat Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina got off to a hot start, dominating the first set 6-1, and went up a break in the second set.
Swiatek’s disappointing clay swing heading into Roland Garros featured some shocking results, and the Pole nearly suffered another one in the fourth round, but she fought back against the former Wimbledon champion to advance to the quarter-final.
When Rybakina was in the driver’s seat during the match, and the defending champion looked down and out, seven-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert was heard making a prediction about how the rest of the contest would play out.
The prediction Chris Evert made when Iga Swiatek was losing to Elena Rybakina
Speaking on TNT Sports, British tennis legend Tim Henman said: “I have to give Chrissy Evert credit.
“We were all sitting in our green room where everybody hangs out, and it was 6-1 2-0, and Chrissy said ‘I still think Swiatek can come back here’ and that’s exactly what she did.
“She just kept fighting. She kept asking Rybakina to hit that extra shot, a few more unforced errors flowed, and she was able to get across the finish line.
“To begin with, Rybakina’s ball striking was just absolutely phenomenal. She was hitting so hard, so aggressively, so flat, and taking the racket out of Swiatek’s hand, which doesn’t happen very often, and certainly not on a clay court at Roland Garros.
“But in this stage in the second set [after Rybakina’s break], this is where Swiatek dug in and changed the momentum of the match.”
Iga Swiatek joins exclusive club of tennis legends in incredible statistic
Swiatek’s victory is her 25th straight at the French Open, which puts her in an elite club of five to have ever tallied as many wins at the major.
She has equalled Monica Seles, who also won 25 consecutive matches in Paris, and will tie Bjorn Borg‘s total of 28 should she go on to win the tournament.
Evert earned 29 straight wins at Roland Garros from 1974 to 1981, which Swiatek won’t be able to match until next year’s event.
Rafael Nadal holds the longest winning streak at the event in the Open Era, which he achieved from 2010 to 2015, going undefeated for 39 matches.
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