Iga Swiatek lauded by tennis great for ‘ruthless’ French Open double bagel

Ewan West
Iga Swiatek looks on
Iga Swiatek during a match

Tennis legend Mats Wilander has described Iga Swiatek’s double bagel victory over Xinyu Wang at the 2023 French Open as “ruthless.”

The seven-time Grand Slam champion believes the world No 1 is trying to “play great on every point”, rather than “playing every point like it’s match point.”

Swiatek demolished the 21-year-old Chinese player, who is currently ranked 80th, 6-0, 6-0 in just 52 minutes in the third round at Roland Garros on Saturday.

It was the Pole’s second double bagel victory in two tournaments, after she also crushed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova without dropping a game at the Italian Open last month.

The two-time French Open champion will face world No 66 Lesia Tsurenko in the last 16 of the French Open on Monday.

Speaking on Eurosport’s coverage after the match, Wilander argued the dominant nature of the win was ideal for the 22-year-old.

“It’s perfect for her (the win over Wang). She pulled out of Rome [during her quarter-final against Elena Rybakina] and had a few days off, and then she got back to practice,” Wilander said.

“She doesn’t need a tough match – winning easily 6-0 6-0 is relaxing and her confidence is going to keep growing. Thank God for Wang it (the double bagel) was in the third round.

“These matches happen often in the first round and you feel awful. But hey, she won two matches at the French Open, and that’s amazing. That’ll hurt for Wang, but Iga – wow. Ruthless.”

The Swede then spoke about the mentality he feels the defending champion competes with on every point.

“She’s not playing every point like it’s match point, but she’s trying to play great on every point, and there’s a big difference between the two,” the three-time Roland Garros winner added.

“When you play great on every point, it doesn’t mean you win all of them, but you play them the way you want to play them. That’s what she does so well and it’s very hard to keep the focus when you’re winning this easily on clay. It’s great practice.

“It’s not important for her to get tested in three sets. She’s testing herself every point, with every shot having a meaning to it. She’s saving energy, and her tournament hasn’t started yet.”

Swiatek is looking to secure a fourth major crown with victory at the Paris major. Along with her French Open triumphs in 2020 and 2022, the world No 1 claimed the 2022 US Open title.

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