Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts to a point during her match against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia on day two at Roland Garros Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

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Iga Swiatek Survives Scare against Elena Rybakina in Three-Set Thriller to Reach Roland Garros Quarterfinals

It was the first clay court victory for Swiatek over Rybakina after losing the previous two.

Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts to a point during her match against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia on day two at Roland Garros Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

The defending champions, Iga Swiatek pulled off a stunning comeback against Elena Rybakina to win the fourth round 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 to extend her winning streak in Roland Garros to 25. The Polish ace was one-set down in the game and the potential upset was on the cards but Swiatek proved why she is the four-time champion at French Open.

Before arriving in the round of 16 matchups, Iga Swiatek was on a 24-match winning streak in the Roland Garros. She also defeated Rybakina for the third straight time to hold a 5-4 lead in the H2H meetings. It was the first clay court victory for the Polish ace over Rybakina after losing the previous two in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Rome Masters.

Never give up. Keep on fighting. That's what champions are made of.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/kLafLmg4MB
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2025

Also Read: Elina Svitolina Stuns Jasmine Paolini: Fourth Seed Falls in Roland Garros 2025

Iga Swiatek Proves Why She Has Won Three Consecutive Titles in Roland Garros!

Elena Rybakina made a stunning start to this crucial round of 16 matchup and outclassed Swiatek 6-1 in the opening set. Iga didn’t drop a single set in her title defense at Roland Garros but failed to deliver against the Kazakh ace in the first set. It was only the third time Iga Swiatek lost a set at Roland Garros since the 2023 Final against Karolina Muchova.

Swiatek found herself in deep pressure when Rybakina took a 2-0 lead in the second set. The Polish ace made 27 errors in the first nine games. However, the former No. 1 showed great determination and equalized by winning two straight points.

Rybakina couldn’t break at 2-2 and Iga saved three break-points in an 11-minute-long game to take a 3-2 lead in the set. Swiatek won five straight games after going 1-2 down. The defending champions proved why she has won this tournament 4 of the last 5 years. The queen of clay forced the decider in a dominant way after taking the second set 6-3.

Rybakina and Swiatek are producing some AMAZING tennis in this 3rd set 🧱#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/hsel7FYrB5
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2025

The third set was a classic battle and tested both players’ fitness. Rybakina made a comeback in the final set and took an early 3-2 lead in the game. During the process, Iga made eight unforced errors which allowed the world No. 11 hold the grip on the third set. Both played another 8-minute long game where Swaitek snatched it after saving three break points.

Like the second set, this game proved to be decisive as it brought Swiatek back in the game. However, she made double fault on break points which helped Rybakina to make it 4-4 and later, the 11th-seeded saved two break points to make it 5-4. Swiatek responded quickly and won two straight games to make it 6-5. The reigning French Open champion won the final set 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals.

Iga Swaitek will take on Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday. Svitolina made the biggest upset of the tournament as she knocked out the last edition’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.

Also Read: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Amanda Anisimova Head-to-Head, Preview and Prediction for the French Open 2025 Round of 16

Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Elena Rybakina

French Open

Iga Swiatek

Gulshan Sharma

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.