Iga Swiatek left 'proud' after what she managed to do against Elina Svitolina which does not happen very often

Iga Swiatek is through to the semi-final of the French Open as her quest for a fourth successive Roland Garros crown continues.

The Polish player came through in straight sets for the fourth time in five matches at this year’s tournament, beating Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 in no time at all.

Swiatek now faces a mouthwatering last-four clash against Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, and she’s on a mission to win another title at this venue.

The 24-year-old was in fine form once again on the clay in Paris, and afterwards she admitted she was extremely proud of herself when it came to one aspect of the performance.

Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

What made Iga Swiatek proud in match against Elina Svitolina

Swiatek is perhaps not renowned for her brute strength on her service game like her next opponent is, but the conditions helped her claim three aces in the very last game of the match against the Ukrainian today.

Speaking after the win, she was asked about her serve, and it’s fair to say she was proud of her efforts in that sense during her quarter-final.

She said in her on-court interview: “Honestly, you could say that the serve was kind of weird because of the wind. I think we both wanted to figure out how to do that. But at the end of the set, I felt like the wind went down a little bit, so I knew I could go for it, and I knew I had new balls, so I went all in.

“I think I hit three lines (in the final game). I am pretty proud of that, it doesn’t happen often, so it’s nice to win some points for three.”

Swiatek also had praise for Svitolina for her efforts and conceded that she made life very difficult for her.

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She said: “For sure, I should have had better intensity at the beginning of the second set because Elena is the kind of player who plays better under pressure.

“She steps up always, so I needed to be ready for that, and I am happy that immediately after I saw my intensity go low, I got it high again. I wanted to be proactive, and I’m happy I did that until the end of the set.”

How many aces Swiatek has hit at the French Open

It’s somewhat strange that the three aces Swiatek managed in this match all came in the final game that got her over the line for the win.

Her total number of aces now stands at nine for the tournament, and that doesn’t have her anywhere near the top 10 for the whole tournament.

Next up is Sabalenka, who sits second on the list for aces at this tournament with 25 and Swiatek knows she’s in for a tough assignment when they meet in the last four.

French Open 2025 Aces Total Qinwen Zheng 26 Aryna Sabalenka 25 Hailey Baptiste 21 Elena Rybakina 21 Madison Keys 17 Most aces by female players at the French Open

She said: “It’s always a challenge. She has a game for every surface, so I need to focus on myself and do the work, be brave with my shots and go for it. I am going to prepare tactically tomorrow, but she has been having a great season, so for sure it’s going to be a tough match, but I am happy for a challenge.”

The match promises to be a cracker and whoever comes through to reach the final should be extremely well placed to go on and win the tournament on Saturday afternoon.

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