Iga Szibiontek (No. 1-Poland) dominated the women’s singles at this year’s French Open, leveling the playing field in a women’s tennis tournament that has been without a dominant force for some time.
Wozniacki defeated Karolina Muhova (43rd, Czech Republic) 2-1 (6-2 5-7 6-4) in the women’s singles final of the French Open tennis tournament at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, on Tuesday.
For the second year in a row, the French Open champion collected the fourth major singles trophy of her career.
Born in 2001, she became the youngest player in 21 years to win four majors since Serena Williams (USA).
Williams, born in 1981, won her fourth career major title at the 2002 US Open before turning 21.
She is also the third player in history to win four singles finals at a major, joining Monica Seles (USA) and Naomi Osaka (JPN).
She won the French Open in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and the US Open last year.
After Williams, the reigning world 스포츠토토 number one, stepped down from her major throne after giving birth in 2017, Osaka and Ashleigh Barty (AUS) emerged as the new powerhouses, but neither lasted long in their prime.
Osaka, born in 1997, won four majors between 2018 and 2021 but announced her pregnancy earlier this year, while Barty, born in 1996, who won three majors between 2019 and last year, retired abruptly last year.
At 5-foot-7, Sibyontek is not known for her size or power.
He had eight service aces in seven matches at the tournament, ranking 12th overall.
Compare that to Muhova’s 18 aces in the same seven matches, and the likes of Elena Rybakina (No. 4-Kazakhstan) with 14 in two matches.
Civion Tech’s strength lies not in their size, power, or strong serves, but in their speedy defense and clever game management.
In the Mujova and the final, Civion Tech continued to rally with several near-acrobatic defensive plays, ranking first in the tournament with a 60 percent chance of scoring on their opponent’s serve game.
Even after winning his first major title at the 2020 French Open before he turned 20, he said his favorite subject was math and that “understanding the geometry of the court helps me play better,” and in the final, he was seen by TV cameras coming back from the bathroom after the first set with a notebook full of notes.
One of the reasons why he is so strong at the French Open is because it is a clay-court tournament, and the long rallies require solid defense.
Of course, he’s not the type to sit back and wait for his opponent to make a mistake. He also has a solid offense, including a powerful forehand, which is one of the reasons why he is one of the world’s top players.
After taking the first set 6-2 and leading 3-0 in the second before falling behind 5-7, Sibiontek was broken first at 3-3 in the third.
However, they won the next three games to regain the lead. It was a result of his increased focus in big matches, as he is now 14-4 in finals, including all four major finals, and 14-4 in regular tour events.
“It was a really tough match, there were so many ups and downs, it was stressful,” said Sibiontek, “but I’m happy that I was able to keep my focus at the end and finish with the win.”
“I think it helped me to play with a little more pressure and not think about the score at that point, because I knew I was going to win the match, but then I was backed into a corner in the middle of the third set,” he said.
In becoming the first player to win back-to-back French Open women’s singles titles in 16 years since Justine Ennin (BEL) in 2007, she also became the youngest player to win back-to-back women’s singles titles at the event in 31 years since Seles in 1992.
Seles was born in 1973 and was not even 20 years old in 1992.
Sibyontek, Venus Williams (USA) and Osaka are the only three active players to have won at least four major singles titles, but Williams, born in 1980, is nearing retirement and Osaka, who is expecting a baby, is not sure if she will return.
“I think I finished the claycourt season well this year, so I don’t think I’ll ever doubt my strength and ability again,” said Cibionte.
Her assertive and unapologetic demeanor – she wore a ribbon in the colors of her native Poland’s neighboring Ukraine on her hat and changed her top on the bench, a rare occurrence for a female player – is part of her appeal to fans.
However, the upcoming grass-court event, Wimbledon, will be a challenge for her, with a round of 16 finish in 2021 being her best result so far.
Of his 14 tour wins, seven have come on hard and seven on clay, and he has never reached the final on grass.