Swiatek's Confidence-Boosting Victory

PARIS, MONDAY – Getting through the first round of a tournament, for both debutants and multiple champions, is a tough challenge. Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz experienced that as defending French Open champions, despite winning straight sets.

For Swiatek, the victory over Rebecca Sramkova with a score of 6-3, 6-3 at Philippe Chatrier Court, Roland Garros, Paris, France, on Monday (26/5/2025) was particularly significant. She competed under different conditions compared to 2024.

Last year, Swiatek competed as the world number one in women's singles and became the target for all players to defeat. She competed as a three-time champion of the French Open (2020, 2022, 2023) and won 19 consecutive matches on clay courts before arriving at Roland Garros. This winning streak resulted in two championship titles from the WTA 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, which she complemented with the French Open trophy.

However, since winning the Suzanne Lenglen trophy (the trophy for the women's singles champion of the French Open) for the fourth time, Swiatek has not won any titles. The 23-year-old Polish tennis player has not even reached the finals. She is competing at Roland Garros 2025 only as the fifth seed, below Aryna Sabalenka (1), Cori Gauff (2), Jessica Pegula (3), and Jasmine Paolini (4).

Thus, a victory in the first round of the 2025 French Open is crucial for Swiatek to rebuild the confidence that has been lost due to a series of failures. Moreover, Sramkova provided a much tougher challenge compared to their first meeting, which took place in the second round of the Australian Open in January. At that time, Swiatek won 6-0, 6-2.

At Roland Garros, Swiatek only managed to break Sramkova's serve in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead in the first set. The lead in the second set also came from just one break point in the eighth game. Swiatek led 5-3 and then won the match by holding serve in the ninth game.

"It was a tough match because Sramkova seemed to play with no pressure. I tried to play aggressively and bring out my weapons. In the end, I'm happy with the performance today," said Swiatek, who got many winners from the forehand.

In addition to playing aggressively, Swiatek strives to face every challenge with a positive mindset. She does not want to focus on mistakes as she did in other tournaments throughout the year.

Swiatek also received additional motivation and inspiration from the award ceremony for Rafael Nadal organized by the tournament committee on Sunday night. She and Alcaraz, who sat close to each other, were part of approximately 14,000 spectators in the stadium.

"Rafa showed his emotional side at the event last night, and that demonstrates that he is also human. He has fought and dedicated his life to tennis. What he has done, especially at Roland Garros, is an inspiration to me. Moreover, on the court, there are his footprints," said Swiatek, who is known as a fan of the 14-time French Open champion.

The footprints referred to by Swiatek are the plaques placed on the court to honor Nadal as the record holder for the most titles at the French Open. The white plaque features an image of his shoe print, the Musketeers trophy with the number 14, and the name Rafa Nadal.

The plaque can be seen by every tennis player playing on Court Philippe Chatrier as it is attached near the net.

Swiatek needs that positive mindset and energy as she faces a challenging draw as the fifth seed. In the second round, she will encounter another Grand Slam champion, Emma Raducanu, who defeated Wang Xin Yu 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the first round.

The first round match in every tournament is always not easy, even though I am here as the defending champion.

The match was Raducanu's first at the French Open after losing in the second round in 2022.

Alcaraz was also pleased with his performance despite winning only one round. He defeated qualifier Giulio Zeppieri 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

"The first round of every tournament is always challenging, even though I am here as the defending champion. I strive to focus on my game to find a good rhythm. I am pleased with this good start, but I will work harder with practice on my day off tomorrow," said Alcaraz, who will face Fabian Marozsan in the second round.

In the "big match" that took place in the first round of the women's singles, Paula Badosa won the match against Naomi Osaka. Despite experiencing fluctuating momentum throughout the match, Badosa and Osaka demonstrated their fighting spirit and hard work over the course of two hours and 21 minutes. Badosa won with a score of 6-7 (1), 6-1, 6-4.

Before the intense competition among them, the match between Badosa and Osaka can be referred to as a "big match." Badosa is the tenth seed, while Osaka is a former world number one tennis player who has won four Grand Slam titles from the Australian Open and the US Open.

The intense competition in vying for every point was evident with a duration of one hour just for the first set. Several games in the third set also lasted more than five minutes.

An unforced error from Osaka put her behind in the third set. She should have had an easy point when the ball bounced high near the net. Osaka tried to hit the ball into the opponent's court, which was so open because Badosa anticipated Osaka's shot going the wrong way.

However, her backhand volley fell outside the baseline, giving Osaka a serve loss and giving Badosa a 4-3 lead.

Osaka had a chance to break Badosa's serve in the next game, which lasted about eight minutes with five deuces. She was able to put Badosa on the defensive with crosscourt shots. However, Badosa was able to hold her serve.

Despite the loss, Osaka has showcased her best performance at the French Open. Moreover, clay courts have been a weakness for the Japanese tennis player, even though she holds four Grand Slam titles.

Meanwhile, Badosa said that Nadal's footprint plaque on the court was his inspiration to persist in the difficult match.

"Since seeing the draw, I have been excited to meet Osaka because I really like her and her game. I try to make the most of every opportunity, no matter how small, and I am inspired by Rafa when I see his footprints. I fight like Rafa, who always fights on this court," said Badosa, who is also from Spain like Nadal.

The first round of the French Open will continue on the third day of the tournament, Tuesday (27/5/2025). Several players who will begin their appearances include the holder of 24 Grand Slam titles, Novak Djokovic, Cori Gauff, and young star, Mirra Andreeva. (afp/reuters)