French Open: World No. 1 Iga Swiatek eases past Haddad Maia in semis, defending champion to face Muchova in final

World no. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek cruised past Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2 7(9)-6(7) in straight sets in the women’s singles semi-final of the French Open, on Thursday. The Polish star was at her best, but was made to work hard by her Brazilian opponent in a thrilling match.

The first set was won by Swiatek, who cruised to a comfortable 6-2 win. Haddad Maia failed to find any kind of response and was brutally destroyed.

But the Brazilian ace came up with a response in the second set and staged a comeback. Level at 3-3, Swiatek served and with a stroke of luck made it 4-3. Leading 30-40, Haddad Maia served and a short rally made it 4-4. With Swiatek leading 5-4, Haddad Maia served to stay in the match and made it 5-5. With Swiatek leading 6-5, the Brazilian had to once again serve to stay in the game and she made it 6-6 to take it to the tiebreak. Swiatek reigned supreme in the tiebreak, sealing a 7(9)-6(7) win in the second set to reach the final.

Meanwhile, Swiatek will face Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova, sealed a thrilling 7(7)-6(5) 6(5)-7(7) 7-5 victory against Aryna Sabalenka.

After her win, Swiatek said, “It’s really amazing. Honestly It’s tough to play such a long tournament and I’m pretty happy I am able to play consistently and every year have a good result here, and I am pretty excited for Saturday.”

The Polish tennis star will be aiming to become the first woman to successfully defend the title since Justine Henin in 2007. “It wasn’t easy, she’s a fighter and she showed that. I knew I had to be ready for every game and that the momentum could change really quickly and that’s why I played so well in the tie-breaker”, Swiatek further added.