Defending champion reaches French Open quarters and later teams up with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to enter semis
Poland’s Iga Swiatek celebrates defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk during her fourth round French Open tie. Pic/AP,PTI
Defending champion Iga Swiatek reached the quarter-finals of the French Open on Monday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Ukrainian teenager Marta Kostyuk. The eighth seed from Poland has won 22 straight sets at Roland Garros and will take on Greek World No. 18 Maria Sakkari for a place in the last four.
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Sakkari knocked out last year’s French Open runner-up Sofia Kenin earlier in the day, leaving Swiatek as the highest-seeded player remaining in the draw.
Main goal
Swiatek, 20, is aiming to become the first woman to defend the title in Paris since Justine Henin won the tournament three times in a row from 2005 to 2007. She extended her winning streak to 10 matches, having captured the Italian Open title in Rome last month. Kostyuk, ranked 81, was making her first appearance in the Last 16 of a major.
Meanwhile, Swiatek’s coach Piotr Sierzputowski said he has no concerns she may put her title defence at risk by playing doubles at Roland Garros, claiming the extra workload keeps her “alive”.
On Tuesday, Swiatek teamed up with American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands to reach the women’s doubles semi-finals. “I feel that with Grand Slams taking place over 14, 15 days, they can be pretty long,” said Sierzputowski.
Barbora doubles up too
“So coming to a match court, it keeps you alive and gives you space to let your emotions go. “Playing doubles also helps you stay in rhythm, win or lose, you keep your routines.”
Fellow quarter-finalist Barbora Krejcikova, who tackles Coco Gauff on Wednesday, also made the doubles semi-finals with Katerina Siniakova. Krejcikova was in the mixed doubles with Filip Polasek but the top seeds were defeated in the quarter-finals.
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