The Queen of Clay's reign ends - but Swiatek 'will be back'

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros

Coverage: Live power commentaries crossed 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, positive unrecorded matter commentaries connected nan BBC Sport website and app

Losing astatine nan French Open is not thing Iga Swiatek is accustomed to.

Having won 4 of nan past 5 titles astatine Roland Garros, nan 24-year-old has go known arsenic nan 'Queen of Clay' - but her reign ever felt nether threat coming into this year's tournament.

Swiatek's existent frailties were exposed by world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka successful a blockbuster semi-final connected Thursday.

Swiatek's service was obliterated by Belarus' Sabalenka, who converted 8 break points to extremity Swiatek's 26-match winning streak connected nan Paris clay.

"Iga will beryllium backmost and she will beryllium better," said erstwhile world number 9 Andrea Petkovic, who analysed nan lucifer for BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I did deliberation this year's tourney was a immense measurement guardant for her successful position of form."

In nan eyes of galore seasoned observers, Swiatek was nan 3rd favourite for nan title down Sabalenka and American 2nd seed Gauff, who hit French wildcard Lois Boisson successful Thursday's 2nd semi-final.

Swiatek has been obscurity adjacent her ascendant champion complete nan past year, failing to scope a last since past year's French Open triumph and slipping to her lowest ranking since March 2022.

After a chastening conclusion successful nan Italian Open 3rd round, Swiatek's return to Paris offered positivity.

"I deliberation I already changed my mindset earlier this tournament," said Swiatek soon aft her first French Open conclusion since 2021.

"Losing early successful Rome gave maine immoderate clip and perspective."

The erstwhile long-time world number 1 looked much for illustration her aged aforesaid arsenic she rolled done her opening 3 matches without dropping a set.

When a tougher trial arrived against Elena Rybakina successful nan past 16, Swiatek fought backmost from losing nan opening group 6-1 and answered much of nan lingering questions astir her form.

She showed akin resilience successful nan opening group against Sabalenka, recovering from 4-1 down to unit nan group backmost connected serve.

Altering her return position helped Swiatek conflict backmost from a mediocre start, wherever she was overwhelmed by Sabalenka's power, and return nan lucifer into a decider.

However, nan 5th seed did not person nan capacity - aliases possibly belief - to prolong her level and rolled complete successful a 22-minute 3rd set.

Overall, though, Swiatek felt she had positives to return from nan past fortnight.

"I played immoderate value matches," said Swiatek, who has still won 32 of her 42 matches this season.

"Now it's astir apt not nan champion clip to look astatine nan wider perspective.

"Probably it wasn't a bad tournament, but evidently not nan consequence I wanted."

There are a substance of reasons - connected and disconnected nan tribunal - arsenic to why Swiatek's level has dipped.

Losing successful nan Olympics semi-finals successful Paris past summertime was a bitter blow, pinch Swiatek saying she cried for "six hours" afterwards.

But later came a bigger bombshell - Swiatek had grounded a doping test.

It was announced successful November she had tested affirmative for bosom medicine trimetazidine (TMZ) successful an out-of-competition sample. She was subsequently fixed a one-month prohibition aft nan International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted nan consequence was caused by contamination.

Swiatek decided to move coach astatine nan extremity of past year, replacing Tomas Wiktorowski pinch Wim Fissette, and it is taking clip for nan changes she is making to furniture in.

The destructive forehand - her astir effective instrumentality connected nan clay - has mislaid immoderate of its reliability, while her work crippled has been picked isolated by big-hitting opponents.

"Maybe she mislaid a small spot of a confidence, truthful that's why sometimes you spot her missing balls that she shouldn't beryllium missing," said Sabalenka.

"But overall, I deliberation it was a really high-level lucifer and she played really awesome tennis."

Sabalenka's triumph emphasised her position arsenic nan runaway leader connected nan WTA Tour and it is difficult to spot Swiatek challenging her connected nan Wimbledon writer adjacent month.

Sabalenka's powerful crippled transfers good onto nan faster surface, while Swiatek has ne'er gone past nan SW19 quarter-finals.

"We cognize Iga doesn't emotion that aboveground truthful I'm willing to spot wherever she goes from here," added Petkovic.

"I deliberation that is going to beryllium very fascinating to watch."