By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, June 5, 2025
Aryna Sabalenka snapped defending-champion Iga Swiatek's 26-match RG win streak 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 to reach her maiden RG final.
Photo credit: Marleen Fouchier-BSR-Getty
The closed Court Chatrier roof created echo chamber conditions.
Slashing the silence, Aryna Sabalenka shattered Iga Swiatek’s Roland Garros defense and dream of a record fourth straight French Open crown.
Punctuating punishing drives, with piercing screams, Sabalenka roared through 16 of the last 18 points dethroning defending champion Swiatek 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 soaring into her maiden Roland Garros final today.
A trip to the final was riding on that final set and Sabalenka simply steamrolled a spent Swiatek rampaging through a 22-minute final set.
World No. 1 Sabalenka elevated her level Swiatek could not reach in a dominant decisive set that saw the big-hitting Belarusian win 12 of 15 points on serve in the final set and commit zero errors.
“I’m thrilled,” Sabalenka told TNT’s Mary Joe Fernandez afterward. “It was an incredible match, a tricky one at the beginning.
“I’m super glad I found my serve. The third set Oh my God it’s like something out of mind. I’m super happy but once again the job is not done.
"I’ll be sure to bring my best tennis and all my experience on Saturday.”
In a blockbuster semifinal that largely lived up to the hype, Sabalenka snapped Swiatek’s 26-match Roland Garros winning streak—second only to legendary Chrissie Evert’s 29-match win streak in Paris—and advanced to her sixth career Grand Slam final.
"I feel like I served the same, and she read my serve much better," Swiatek said of absorbing her first bagel set at Roland Garros since former No. 1 Simona Halep swept her 6-1, 6-0 in the 2019 round of 16. "So I probably won less points on the return. And I don't really know.
"You know, I think I lost my intensity a bit, and she just played, you know, like pretty strong as in first set, but I didn't react to that well and just couldn't push back."
It is Sabalenka’s 24th victory in her last 26 matches as she raised her 2025 record to a WTA-best 40-6.
The world No. 1 will play for er fourth Grand Slam championship facing either No. 2 Coco Gauff in what would be a rematch of last month’s Madrid final, won by Sabalenka, or world No. 361 French Cinderella story Lois Boisson in Sunday’s final. Boisson is the first women’s wild card to reach the Roland Garros final four.
A whipping wind and uncertain conditions compelled officials to close the retractable roof over Court Philippe Chatrier.
Typically the closed retractable roof creates humid slower conditions, which many felt would favor Swiatek today.
Despite the unfamiliar No. 5 seed next to her name—and the fact she has not won a tournament title since pounding Jasmine Paolini in the 2024 French Open final—Swiatek still carried the confidence from an 8-4 record against Sabalenka, including a 4-1 mark in their clay clashes.
So when Sabalenka scored her third straight break for a 4-1 lead, Swiatek did not press the panic button.
The reigning champion caught a break when an apparent Sabalenka game-ending ace was ruled a let. Instead of the Belarusian holding for 5-1, Swiatek broke for 2-4 sparking a surge of four games in a row that saw the Pole take the lead position up 5-4.
The top seed made a stand, holding then curling a crosscourt forehand to break for 6-5.
Serving for the set, Sabalenka could not close as Swiatek backed the Belarusian up with a deep backhand breaking with a ould “come on!” to force the tiebreaker.
Low first-serve percentage and vicious returning by both champions saw them combine for eight breaks in the first 12 games.
Elevating in the tiebreaker, Sabalenka served with command and struck with conviction.
Opening with a blistering backhand return for the mini break, Sabalenka went up 4-1 when Swiatek shoveled a short angled forehand wide. Sabalenka slammed her second ace down the T for 5-1.
When Swiatek’s backhand landed beyond the baseline, Sabalenka seized a physical 69-minute opening set. The big-hitting Belarusian hit one more winner than the champion—16 to 15—and attacked the ball to take the breaker.
“It was tricky to serve with the roof closed,” Sabalenka said. “It was different compared to the previous match. I’m glad both of us adjusted and we were able to show such high level match.”
After Swiatek left the court for a bathroom break, the pair traded breaks to start the second set. Swiatek broke at love then pulled off a tremendous touch half volley and a soft forehand redirect pulling ahead, 3-1.
In contrast to the opening set, both women were holding comfortably throughout the second half of the second set.
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Though she’s not known for her front-court feel, Swiatek showed some fine volley skills. The champion blocked a forehand volley to seal the second set and force a decider after one hour, 57 minutes.
A fearless Sabalenka answered with ferocity.
In her biggest set of the tournament, the top seed played her boldest tennis slashing venomous strikes that frequently forced Swiatek to defend off the back foot.
The fifth seed bumped a short backhand into net to face break point. Unleashing a flurry of heavy forehands, Sabalenka rattled out a netted reply breaking for a 2-0 lead in the decider.
Jamming her opponent with a biting body serve, Sabalenka blistered a backhand strike backing up the break for 3-0.
Throughout the decider, Sabalenka amped up the pace of her ferocious forehands. A driven Sabalenka battered the dirt in front of the baseline blasting through a love break for a 4-0 lead after two hours, nine minutes.
Sabalenka closed in two hours, 19 minutes to advance to her sixth Grand Slam final.
"First I'm gonna chill and then do the recovery needed and then I'm read to go [in the final]," Sabalenka said.