Iga Swiatek still on course for record French Open crown after moving into last four

Iga Swiatek still on course for record French Open crown after moving into last four

Iga Swiatek, who is aiming to win a record fourth consecutive French Open crown, downed 14th-ranked Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 on Court Philippe-Chatrier to move into the semifinals.

Swiatek was made to work hard by the 30-year-old Ukrainian in the opening set despite the scoreline, while she battled back from a 3-1 deficit in the second.

The world No 5 said: "I should have had better intensity in the beginning of the second set because Elina is this kind of player that plays better under pressure. When she loses, she kind of steps up always.

"So I needed to be ready for that and I'm happy that, immediately after I saw that my intensity went low, I just got it high again and I wanted to be proactive and leading the game.

"And I'm happy that I did that until the end of the set."

Swiatek's victory over Svitolina was her 26th consecutive win at the Paris Grand Slam, which sees her move above Monica Seles into second place for the longest women's winning streaks at the event.

Only Chris Evert (29) has won more successive French Open matches.

The Pole has equalled Serena Williams for the longest winning streak at a women's singles Grand Slam tournament this century. Williams won 26 US Open matches in a row between 2012 and 2015.

Across women's and men's tennis, Swiatek has become the joint-second fastest player to win 40 French Open matches, having matched Bjorn Borg by reaching the landmark in just 42 matches.

Rafael Nadal, a 14-time Roland Garros champion, holds the record, having won 40 of his first 41 matches at the clay-court major.

Swiatek is the fastest woman to 40 French Open wins, with Chris Evert and Monica Seles tied in second (43 matches).

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