"Something changed" - Iga Swiatek shares how Naomi Osaka scare at French Open made a difference to her confidence in run to final
Iga Swiatek has opened up on the difference that her French Open second-round match against Naomi Osaka made to the rest of her ongoing Roland Garros campaign. Swiatek finds herself on the cusp of a fourth French Open title in five years, having reached this year's final after a solid 6-2, 6-4 win over Coco Gauff in the semifinals on Thursday, June 6.
The Pole survived an almighty scare against Osaka. The Japanese, who has, for the most part, been rusty since her return to tennis at the start of the season, showed glimpses of her past brilliance. At times, Swiatek simply had no answer for the former World No. 1's aggressive and precise play. A shock exit looked very much on the cards in the third and deciding set, as Osaka led the Pole 5-2, and had a match point.
However, in an exemplary display of resilience, Swiatek saved the match point and fought back bravely to win five consecutive games, turning the match on its head in a matter of minutes. Ultimately, the reigning World No. 1 and two-time defending French Open champion progressed by the narrowest of margins [7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5].
Following her semifinal win over Gauff, Swiatek was asked by Mats Wilander what difference the match against Osaka made. The four-time Grand Slam winner admitted that something did change, and went on to talk about her own adjustment to the Roland Garros playing conditions as well as the atmosphere. The Pole has lost only 14 games in the four matches she has played since the win over the Japanese.
"For sure, something changed. I would say I just adjusted better to the court and you know, it's not easy to play the first matches of a Grand Slam. The atmosphere is much different than other tournaments," Swiatek told Wilander.
Swiatek also said that she wasn't given any time by Osaka to settle in the pair's second-round clash. However, she expressed happiness about the way she handled herself against the Japanese despite finding herself on the brink of defeat.
Swiatek also credited the change in the Parisian weather for making her more confident. The first week of the French Open saw rains everyday, but the second week has so far been rainless.
"I guess Naomi for sure, I didn't have time to kind of get into it. It was just intense from the beginning and she put pressure on me, so I'm happy that I handled it well and after that, the weather changed also. So, it helps my game, I feel. I just gained confidence I would say," Swiatek added.
Iga Swiatek let her emotions loose after intense French Open second-round showdown against Naomi Osaka
Following the conclusion of the post-match formalities, cameras captured Swiatek suddenly turning tearful as she was lying down in the gym. After her far more straightforward third-round win over Marie Bouzkova, the Pole looked back on her outpouring of emotions in the press conference.
While the World No. 1 initially joked that her tears were a result of the presence of cameras in the gym, she went on to admit that the emotions at the time had overwhelmed her. Swiatek also laid bare that against Osaka, she felt the dread of exiting the tournament.
"Maybe I was crying because there are cameras on the gym. Well, just overwhelmed with emotions. I honestly thought that I'm going to be out of the tournament. Even though I felt something on court, it kind of hit me after. I was happy that I won, but I still felt like I was really on the edge. I just cried," Swiatek said.
The two-time defending French Open champion will take on either Jasmine Paolini or Mirra Andreeva in the final.