Iga Swiatek v Naomi Osaka: 5 talking points ahead of French Open blockbuster

Oli Dickson Jefford
Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka at the net
Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek will face off in round two at the French Open.

It is the French Open clash we were all hoping for.

When the women’s draw was made, all eyes glanced towards a potential second-round clash between Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka, two four-time Grand Slam champions and tennis superstars.

And the wishes of many a tennis fan will come true on Wednesday when the current No 1 – and tournament favourite – takes on the former world No 1 for a place in round three at Roland Garros.

We look at five key talking points ahead of the biggest clash of the women’s draw so far.

Split head-to-head

This will be the third time Swiatek and Osaka have faced off, with the two having split their previous meetings.

The Japanese ace edged their first meeting in two tight sets, prevailing 7-6(4), 6-4 in Toronto – when she was the reigning US and Australian Open winner, and when the Pole was still a teenager.

Almost three years later they met again, with Swiatek prevailing comfortably.

The Pole beat Osaka 6-4, 6-0 to win the Miami Open final, amid her 37-match win streak.

Read More: French Open – The 8 women with three or more titles as Iga Swiatek aims to climb list

Contrasting R1 triumphs

The matches the two played to reach this stage couldn’t have been any more different.

For Swiatek it was business as usual on Chatrier, starting her title defence with a fairly comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 win over French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean.

Osaka also won the opening set of her round one against Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, but things were far from straightforward after that.

The Italian battled back to take the second set and rallied from 0-4 down in the third to lead 5-4.

But Osaka held her nerve and eventually closed out a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory to claim a first Slam win since the 2022 Australian Open.

Osaka looking to match Roland Garros best

Clay courts have not been the happiest hunting ground for Osaka in her career, with the former No 1 more accustomed to hard courts than the dirt.

And a shock victory in this clash would see her match her previous best result in Paris, having reached the third round three previous times.

She reached round three on debut in 2016, and then again reached that stage in 2018.

Osaka last reached round three in 2019 when, as the world No 1 and reigning US and Australian Open champion, she lost to Katerina Siniakova.

Win streaks on the line for Swiatek

Swiatek is no stranger to a winning streak or two, and she will be looking to continue two current runs with victory on Wednesday.

Having last lost at Roland Garros in 2021, the world No 1 has won 15 straight matches in Paris and will be highly fancied to make it 16 wins in a row.

While following titles in Madrid and Rome in the build-up to the French Open this season, she will hope to make it 14 match wins in a row with victory in this contest.

Read More: Iga Swiatek – The tennis legends world No 1 can emulate and overtake with French Open triumph

Fett or Bouzkova in R3

Whoever wins this match will hope to have a much more straightforward contest in round three.

The winner will face Marie Bouzkova or Jana Fett in the third round, a match likely to be held on Friday.

Croatian Fett would be at that stage of a major for the first time with victory, while former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Bouzkova would be playing a round-three match at Roland Garros for the first time.

Related Articles