French Open: Iga Swiatek Aims for Historic Fourth Title; Alcaraz Advances with Ease
Defending champion Iga Swiatek kicked off her quest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive French Open title with a commanding victory over Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova, while fellow star Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the second round with relative ease.
Swiatek, seeking to make history as the first woman since 1968 to win four straight titles at Roland Garros, triumphed with a score of 6-3, 6-3, marking her 22nd consecutive win at the tournament. “It feels great. I think it was a great first round and a really solid performance,” Swiatek remarked after her match.
In contrast, Alcaraz, the top seed in the men’s draw, dispatched Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The Spaniard expressed surprise at his strong start, saying, “I expected a worse level for me… I’m really proud about it.”
World number one Jannik Sinner also advanced, overcoming local favorite Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-3, 7-5, despite facing a brief scare in the third set where he trailed 4-0. Sinner, who has returned strong after a three-month doping ban, extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 15 matches.
However, the day was marked by notable upsets as fourth seed Taylor Fritz and former Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka both exited the tournament early. Fritz fell to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 defeat, while Osaka struggled with a finger issue and lost to Paula Badosa 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4.
Other significant results included Emma Raducanu, who overcame a health scare to defeat Wang Xinyu 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, and Holger Rune, the 10th seed, who battled past Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets.
Swiatek is set to face Raducanu in the next round, while Alcaraz looks to build on his impressive form.
