In six matches at this French Open, no one has come close to finding a solution for 19-year-old Iga Svitek.
Not the No. 1 seed and former champion Simona Halep, who was crushed by Svitek in the fourth round. Qualifier Nadia Podorowska, whom she defeated in the women’s semifinals at Land Land Geros on Thursday, a little more than an hour later, lost 2-2, -1-1.
The last player to have a chance to stop him is 21-year-old American Sophia Canin, who won the Australian Open earlier this year and beat Petra Kvitova 6-4, 7-5 in the second semifinal this afternoon on Philippe Chatterjee Court.
Kenin has never reached the quarterfinals of a clay-court event. Last month, Victoria Azarenka beat her 6-0, -0-0 at the Italian Open. But she has worked her way out of the draw in Paris, making round-round improvements and saving some of her best work for a powerful point against Quito, who have won their previous two matches.
Svitech does not have a sponsorship agreement with the racket manufacturer at the moment and also has a surname that many people are still learning to pronounce (try Schwei-on-Tech). She is only playing in her seventh Grand Slam tournament and has yet to win a Tour title, but she has entered the tennis stratosphere in a hurry.
“Basically I wanted to play this match as if it were in the first round,” Sweetke said Thursday. “Because I didn’t want to think I was in the semifinals because it would push me, so I kept being as aggressive as the previous match.”
No one has won more than four games in the set against her in Paris this year, and although she is unseeded and inexperienced, ranked only rankedth, it will be difficult for her to consider clear administration when she takes to court for the first time on Saturday. Grand Slam singles final against No. 4 ranked Canin.
Kenny has not consistently hit high-end notes of the same type as Svitek in the last two weeks, with a compact mix of offense and defense uncertain. But Kenny has played some tennis decisively, winning four of the three sets and recovering from a 4-4 defeat in the second set against Kavitova on Thursday.
Kenny immediately surpassed Kvitova and then served to reach his second major final of 2020.
“I’m really, really fierce,” he said in an on-court interview after the match. “I’m just fighting for every issue. I’m in Samis they’re not going to give it to me. I really have to go out and fight for it.
“I feel in the past that I have always expected them to make mistakes,” he said. “Now I think I have to take it, take a chance and take a risk.”
Following its progression season in 2019, Kenny has broken new barriers despite a five-month tour break this year. He is 16-1 in the 2020 Grand Slam singles game. But he has to face another player very quickly.
“I’m really kind of surprised,” Sweetke said. “I never thought I would do well in this tournament, but on the other hand I always knew that if I made it to the Grand Slam final, it would be the French Open. So I’m really happy. It is a dream come true. “
Svitech could play two finals this year. She is in the semifinals of the women’s doubles with American partner Nicole Melifer. The last woman to win both singles and doubles at Rolland Nd Garros was Mary Pierce in 2000.
Svitech, who completed high school earlier this year, is the first Polish player to reach the final of the French Open women’s singles since 1939 when Jadviga Jedrejosowska lost to Simon Mathieu of France. Matthew now has a name for him at Land Land Garros.
Svitech and Canin. Not played on a professional tour, but they have faced each other on red clay in Paris. Svitek defeated Canin 6-4, 7-5 in the third round at the 2016 French Open junior event. Since then the two have come a long way.
“I’ll be absolutely nervous, a lot of emotions,” Kenny said. “But I have to find out what I need to do against it. She has been playing great tennis for the past two weeks. “
