Iga Swiatek wins third consecutive Roland Garros, fourth overall, and fifth Grand Slam title

When it comes to clay-court tennis, Iga Swiatek may not want to hear comparisons to Rafael Nadal.

“Problem” is, she’s doing nothing to dissuade them.

The only way they’ll ease up is if Swiatek loses at Roland Garros—but the 23-year-old just won her third consecutive Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, and her fourth overall, with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Grand Slam final debutante Jasmine Paolini.

“Trying to build a Nadal-like legacy here,” said John McEnroe on NBC. “So far, so good.”

Swiatek is now 4-0 in Roland Garros finals, just like Nadal was. And given her comfort level on the terre battue, you wonder if she has already faced her Robin Soderling: Maria Sakkari, who vaulted over the Pole in the 2021 quarterfinals.

Iga is (probably) not invincible, though you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Still, she appeared to be on her way out of the tournament way back in the second round, when Naomi Osaka led Swiatek 5-2 in the third (and had 0-30 on her serve). In the next game, Osaka earned a match point.

Swiatek won five consecutive games to avoid the upset—and ever since, she’s continued her rampage on the red.

“Will it end up being the wake-up call that takes her to a fourth title in Paris?” Steve Tignor asked about the Osaka escape. Swiatek lost just 17 games over her final five matches, or as many as she lost to Osaka in total.

Paolini managed to win two over the first four games, a veritable accomplishment against Swiatek on clay. Exchanging service holds and breaks, the 28-year-old at least gave the impression that this could be a competitive final. Sportsbooks had Swiatek as a -1400 moneyline favorite on Friday night, a gigantic line that seems absurd for first-round matches, let alone a major final.

She never threatened Swiatek the rest of the way. The Cinderella from Italia hit just three winners in the opening set compared to Swiatek’s 10. She actually had one fewer unforced error to Swiatek, but the world No. 1 pressured Paolini into 12 “forced errors.”

But unlike Swiatek’s growing trophy collection, the numbers don’t completely tell the story of her dominance today. By the time Swiatek broke Paolini for a 4-2 first-set lead, any early-match jitters had evaporated. Swiatek ended the set with a love hold.

Paolini’s second-set highlight? Beyond just getting on the board, she recovered from 15-40 to reach deuce...in a game she would ultimately lose.

Meanwhile, the highlights continue for Swiatek, who has now won three consecutive tournaments, all significant events on clay: Madrid, Rome and, again, Roland Garros.

“Remind you of anyone?” asked McEnroe at one point in the match.

Only one person.