Remember Iga Swiatek’s stunning early exit at the Italian Open? On May 10, the defending champion fell in straight sets to American Danielle Collins in the R32, a shocking result of a court she once dominated. The loss snapped her 1,161-day streak in the WTA top 3, a ranking she held since March 2022. But in Paris, her kingdom, where she’s lifted four Grand Slam trophies, three consecutively, Swiatek seems to have reignited her fire in her opening match. And as she matures on tour with growing expectations, she reflected on how winning as a teenager came with its unique edge, resembling the recent AO winner Madison Keys! Her thoughts?

Iga Swiatek, one of the top favorites at this year’s French Open, has advanced to the 2nd round after overcoming a spirited challenge from Rebecca Sramkova. The 5th seed had to rally from 3-1 down in the second set to seal a 6-3, 6-3 win, an unusually tough opener by GS standards. This match marked a rematch from the AO, where Swiatek had breezed past Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 in just an hour. 

This time, however, the 42nd seed brought a much stronger game, trading blow-for-blow in powerful baseline rallies and hitting 23 winners to Swiatek’s 25. Following the win, Swiatek reflected on the journey of young champions and resurfaced a compelling truth about winning majors early in one’s career. 

Speaking in her post-match press conference in France, Iga Swiatek opened up about why winning a GS might be slightly easier for teenagers. Reflecting on her journey, the 4-time French Open champion explained, “Winning a Grand Slam is always challenging for all players, but perhaps for a teenager, it’s slightly easier. At that age, it’s normal to fly under the radar, no one is watching you, you don’t have a target on your back, so expectations are low, making it easier to win a Grand Slam when you’re at these ages.”

Swiatek then turned the spotlight on American Madison Keys, using her recent breakthrough as an example of how a player’s journey evolves. “At least easier than someone like Madison (Keys), for example, who has been on the circuit for so many years. By that point, everyone knows your game, maybe you’ve been through many situations where you achieved your goal, and that can haunt you. Yes, definitely, winning as a teenager is easier.”

For context, Madison Keys made headlines earlier this year when she won her maiden GS at the 2025 Australian Open, defeating top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Her victory was historic, not only for American tennis but also for the record books. She became the 4th-oldest 1st-time Slam winner in the Open Era at age 29 and achieved the rare feat of beating both the world top and 2nd seed in a single major, a milestone previously reached only by Svetlana Kuznetsova.

In contrast, Swiatek’s own GS breakthrough came at just 19 years old, when she stormed to victory at Roland Garros in 2020 without dropping a set. That win made her the 1st Polish player ever to win a singles major and placed her among legends like Chris Evert and Steffi Graf as one of the few teens to conquer Paris so dominantly. Since then, she’s added 4 more majors to her name, though her recent dip in form has sparked speculation about her current momentum.

Alongside those reflections, the Polish also addressed her 1st-round performance at Roland Garros, with Brit Emma Raducanu in the second round to follow.

Iga Swiatek’s honest take on facing Emma Raducanu

For the 2nd straight GS, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu will square off in the opening week. Their previous encounter came in the 3rd round of the AO earlier this year, where Swiatek overwhelmed the Brit 6-0, 6-1 in just 70 minutes. The Polish top seed 1 remains undefeated against Raducanu in 4 career meetings, having not dropped a set. Yet, their most competitive clashes have come on clay, particularly in Stuttgart, Swiatek edged out wins of 6-4, 6-4 in 2022 and 7-6(2), 6-3 in 2024.

Speaking after her opening round win over Rebecca Sramkova, Swiatek offered an honest reflection on the matchup ahead in Paris. “I didn’t really think about [the Australian Open] match, honestly,” Iga admitted. “I was thinking about our Stuttgart match, and I think we played another time on clay after — I’m not sure. I’m not good at that. But I don’t really take a lot from that except the experience and … knowing how she plays.”

She continued, “But Melbourne and Roland Garros [are] totally different surfaces, different stories. I’ll prepare tactically as I should before a clay court match, and that’s it.” 

Swiatek’s win over Sramkova marked her 22nd consecutive victory at the French Open and her 60th straight opening-round win in WTA events. Her last opening-round loss came in 2021. 

Now, with Raducanu next, all eyes are on whether Iga can keep her Parisian streak alive. What’s your prediction of the match?