CHENNAI: On Monday, one of the surest things in tennis, a Rafael Nadal win in the French dirt, came to an end. Battling on in the December second week of his career, the Spaniard great fell to Alexander Zverev in first round. The 14-time winner of the French Open had lost his kingdom for only the fourth (and perhaps last) time in his career.
Some 48 hours after Nadal existed, another player, already a future Hall of Famer of the sport, showed why she is en route to becoming one of the best on this surface. The best players don’t just merely dominate opposition. Even on their off days, they manage and find ways to prevail against adversity.
That’s what Iga Swiatek managed to do against a redlining Naomi Osaka, a four-time Slam winner herself. Down a match point in the third stanza, the Pole came up with the goods to win to claim a 14th consecutive win on the surface. She had won both clay tun-up events at Rome and Madrid before the Paris Major.
“On clay, she’s a different kind of beast anyway,” was how Sania Mirza put it when the former doubles World No. 1 was asked about Swiatek’s place in the women’s game. “For the last few years, she has been as dominate as anyone else, especially when it comes to this surface.”
That’s true. Coming into this year’s Open, the 21-year-old (she turned 22 last week) had won 25 matches on the dirt, winning three titles in the process. If she does end up three-peating, she will emulate Justine Henin (among women, the Belgian is the only player to have had a hat-trick of titles in Paris in the 21st century).
On Sunday, Swiatek suggested why she remains the prohibitive favourite as she cantered past Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0 in under 45 minutes. “She’s on the way to becoming an absolute great of the game,” Mirza, who was speaking to select journalists on tournament eve, added. When asked if it was safe to compare her with Serena Williams, she said: Whether we can compare her to Serena, I think time will tell. She’s still only 22, very young. It puts a lot of pressure but I do understand the comparisons made.”
Select Results: Men (third round) Novak Djokovic bt Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 Women (fourth round): Iga Swiatek bt Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0, Coco Gauff bt Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-2.