WILANDER EXCITED AS SWIATEK REACHES FRENCH OPEN FINAL WITH WIN OVER KASATKINA- ‘IGA SWIATEK IS JUST A MACHINE RIGHT NOW’.
Iga Swiatek is one win away from her second Grand Slam title after sauntering to victory over Daria Kasatkina in the semi-finals of the French Open at Roland Garros on Thursday. Eurosport experts Mats Wilander and Chris Evert feel the title is in Swiatek’s hands. Stream the 2022 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+.
Mats Wilander has described Iga Swiatek as a “machine” and feels the French Open is hers for the taking, while Chris Evert has never seen the Pole so focused.
Swiatek wrapped up her 34th win on the spin to beat Daria Kasatkina 6-2 6-1 to secure her place in the final of the French Open.
Big-game nerves are unlikely to be a major issue for Swiatek, as she already has a French Open title to her name.
Wilander felt the 2020 Roland-Garros champion was in cruise control against Kasatkina, and the Eurosport expert believes only a peak and aggressive Coco Gauff – who faces Martina Trevisan in the second semi-final – has the firepower to test the world No. 1.
Speaking in the Eurosport studio, Wilander said: “It’s kind of one of those matches where the top player goes in and plays her opponent for a little bit then realises, ‘oh okay, if I play at about a seven out of ten I will be even with this opponent and I’m playing at an eight or nine, even a ten in the morning practice and the day before’. So it gives her room to relax, play her game and then there’s no match really.
“The only chance you have is to overpower her and I think that Coco Gauff has a chance to do that but even then you’d need a Coco Gauff to go for her shots more than she normally does. But Iga Swiatek is just a machine right now.”
Evert was impressed with how Swiatek took the occasion of a major semi-final in her stride.
“She was all business out there, she was more focused than I have ever seen her,” Evert said. “She knows the importance and the danger of a semi-final.”
Evert and Wilander were on the same page with regard to Swiatek’s possible opponents in the final.
“The only player that is going to beat Swiatek is a player with a lot of firepower and a big serve,” Evert said. “You project to the finals, if a Coco Gauff wins that is probably the only type of player and type of game that can only really overpower Iga.”
