When can Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka meet at French Open 2024? Pair likely to lock horns in early blockbuster clash in Paris
Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka could meet in the second round of the French Open if they both win their respective first-round matches. The Pole will face a qualifier/lucky loser while the Japanese will be up against Lucia Bronzett.
The pair incidentally found themselves in the top half of the draw and the same quarter. Swiatek was the first name on the list and Osaka the fourth, which meant they could face off as early as the second round should they both win their opening-round matches.
They have met twice before on tour with their head-to-head split at one win a piece. Iga Swiatek steamrolled through their last encounter 6-4, 6-0 in the finals of the 2022 Miami Open, while Naomi Osaka won their first match-up in Toronto 7-6 (4), 6-4 way back in 2019.
The in-form Swiatek, however, heads into this encounter on a 12-match winning streak and back-to-back crowns in Madrid and Rome. She is on course to complete a rare sweep of the three biggest clay court tournaments in the women's calendar, a feat only Serena Williams has accomplished in the past.
Apart from her great run recently, Swiatek has also picked up the titles in Indian Wells and Qatar earlier in the year, beating Maria Sakkari and Elena Rybakina in the respective finals.
Osaka, on the other hand, has been steadily getting back into the groove ever since her return to the tour at the start of the season. She currently holds a 12-9 match record this year, with her best showing yet a quarterfinal finish at the 2024 Qatar Open.
While both players will be eager to make a deep run in the tournament, the Pole will be the firm favorite to go through in this encounter given her superior clay court prowess and her track record at the French Open.
Touted the 'Queen of Clay,' Swiatek is widely expected to claim her third consecutive title in the French Capital, and her fourth in total.
Iga Swiatek enters French Open 2024 with a 28-2 record at the Grand Slam
Iga Swiatek has an impeccable record at the French Open so far, with 28 wins out of 30 matches.
The Pole has won three titles at the clay-court Major, which is already more than some of tennis' biggest names, including Maria Sharapova and Martina Navratilova.
Her first title came in 2020, when she was an unseeded teenager at the tournament. Swiatek beat Marketa Vondrousova, Hsieh Su-wei, Eugenie Bouchard, Simona Halep, Martina Trevisan and Nadia Podoroska before triumphing over Sofia Kenin in the final. She did not drop a single set throughout the tournament.
Her second title at the clay-court Major came in 2022 when she beat Lesia Tsurenko, Alison Riske, Danka Kovinic, Zheng Qinwen, Jessica Pegula and Daria Kasatkina before defeating Coco Gauff in the final. She successfully defended her title in 2023 with a hard-fought win over Karolina Muchova in the final.