Tuning into the musical muse, Iga Swiatek sported white headphones and focused face as she stepped on court.
Unleashing a symphony of shots, Swiatek conducted unstoppable anthem.
World No. 1 Swiatek rocked maiden major finalist Jasmine Paolini rolling to a Roland Garros championship three-peat with a stylish 6-2, 6-1 thrashing.
Streaks of red clay streaked Swiatek’s socks after she stormed through 11 of the last 12 games capping a clean conquest. Swiatek stretched her Roland Garros winning streak to 21 matches solidifying her status among elite clay-court champions.
The 23-year-old Swiatek swept her fourth French Open championship in the last five years, raising her Grand Slam finals record to an immaculate 5-0. She did it all after climbing off the red clay canvas and saving a match point to subdue four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in round two.
“I was almost out of the tournament in the second round so thank you guys for kind of staying behind my back and cheering for me,” Swiatek told French Open fans. “I also needed to believe that this one is going to be possible. So it’s been a really emotional tournament so thank you for supporting me.”
The Cinderella story of Paris, Paolini incited a huge roar when she went up 2-1.
Then a ruthless Swiatek stomped the 28-year-old Italian soaring through 11 of the next 12 games in a 68-minute blow-out that was the most lopsided of her four French Open final wins.
On the WTA Tour, Swiatek is a dominant No. 1. Now, she’s joined iconic champions exuding major closing power. Swiatek is the third woman in Open Era history to win her first five major finals after Margaret Court, who won her first eight major finals and Monica Seles, who claimed her first six Slam finals.
It is Swiatek’s 21st consecutive Roland Garros victory—the fourth longest Open Era women’s winning streak in Paris behind only Chrissie Evert (29), Monica Seles (25) and Justine Henin (24). And it comes on the 50th anniversary of Evert’s maiden Roland Garros win. Swiatek’s fourth French Open crown ties her with Henin for third on the Open Era list behind only Evert (7) and Steffi Graf (6).
“I think honestly this one was most similar to 2022 because I knew what I was going for and I knew I had the game to win this tournament,” Swiatek told NBC’s Maria Taylor in her on-court interview. “Even though I was really close to being out of it in the second round against Naomi, I don’t know I just survived that match and then I played with huge confidence.
“So I’m really proud of myself that I didn’t stop and that the pressure didn’t squeeze me down. I just felt better and better every day. I felt my game is improving that I’m feeling the courts and feeling the ball much, much better. Also the weather got hotter and I think it suits my game—so everything, honesty–-I felt peace and just focus on court.”
Talk about a winning warrior, the powerful Pole has now won 10 consecutive finals, she’s the first woman since Henin (2005-2007) to capture three straight Roland Garros crowns and only the third woman overall to pull off the Paris three-peat along with Seles (1990-1992). Swiatek joins legendary Serena Williams (2013) as just the second woman in history to sweep championships in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros in the same calendar year.
Clearly, Iga brings her best to the biggest events.
To put Swiatek’s championship career in perspective, consider of her 22 career titles, 10 have come at WTA 1000 events, 5 are Grand Slam crowns and she’s won 5 titles this season.
