Iga Swiatek breathed a sigh of relief when the Roland Garros draw spared her a showdown with Jelena Ostapenko, a player she had never managed to beat in six previous encounters. But there was no time to relax—up next was a similarly daunting opponent in Elena Rybakina, known for her explosive power. Swiatek arrived at this fourth-round clash without dropping a set, but what followed was a gritty test of her resilience. One that she overcame stunningly. And with it also scripted her name in history!

The match began in shocking fashion, with Iga Swiatek receiving a breadstick in the opening set, completely outplayed and overwhelmed. But the world No. 5 flipped the script. Digging deep, she found her rhythm and fought back to clinch a hard-earned 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory, punching her ticket to the quarterfinals of her favorite tournament.

This win also marks her sixth consecutive quarterfinal at the French Open, an astonishing level of consistency. The Pole is now tied with Monica Seles for the second-longest winning streak at Roland Garros in the Open Era. To put the 23-year-old’s dominance in perspective: during this 25-match rampage, she’s dropped just four sets out of 53 played. That’s not just good form; it’s clay-court mastery. Monica Seles also won three straight French Open titles in 1990, 1991, and 1992. She made history in 1990 by becoming the youngest-ever French Open champion at 16 years and 6 months old, defeating Steffi Graf in the final 7-6, 6-4. Only Chris Evert, with a remarkable 29 straight wins and a record seven titles in Paris, sits ahead.

Coming into Sunday, Swiatek and Rybakina were level at 4-4 in their head-to-head. But crucially, Swiatek had never defeated the Kazakh on clay. That changed on Court Philippe-Chatrier, as she weathered Rybakina’s booming shots and produced clutch tennis to break new ground. She now boasts a perfect 5-0 record in three-set matches at Roland Garros.

Talking about the match, the 23-year-old highlighted the difficulties presented to her by Rybakina, likening her to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. She said, “Well, it was tough. You know, in the first set, I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner. She really pushed me, so I needed to do something to get back into the game. And honestly, with her playing like that, I didn’t have a lot of hope, but I just kept fighting. I’m happy that I did, because with every game, I felt like I could loosen up even more, and in the end, I was able to play my game. So I’m super happy.”

But up next is a veteran opponent waiting for her. Swiatek will now take on No. 13 seed Elina Svitolina for a place in the semifinals.

Iga Swiatek sets up exciting quarterfinal clash with Elina Svitolina

Iga Swiatek returns to her happy hunting ground in Paris, but this time, the stakes feel a little different.

Over the past year, the former world No. 1 has slipped from her grip, and she now finds herself ranked No. 5. Since lifting the French Open trophy last June, Swiatek hasn’t won a title or even reached a final. A one-month doping suspension earlier in the season only added to the turbulence, making this her first Roland Garros campaign since 2020 without a title under her belt. Still, if there’s one place where Swiatek can turn the tide, it’s Roland Garros. The Pole has reigned supreme here for three straight years and now stands on the brink of making history as the first woman since Justine Henin to win four in a row.

But before Swiatek can even think about that, she faces a tricky test in Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian has been in red-hot form, proving her grit by saving three match points against last year’s finalist, Jasmine Paolini, in a gutsy win on Sunday. Svitolina knows how to dig deep, and she knows how to beat Swiatek, too, having stunned her in the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals. That said, Swiatek still holds the edge in their rivalry, leading 3-1 in head-to-head meetings. Their only clay-court encounter came in Rome in 2021, where Swiatek cruised to victory.

It’s shaping up to be a compelling showdown. Can Iga Swiatek stay on course for a historic fourth straight title, or will Svitolina crash the party? What do you think?