Aryna Sabalenka is into her first-ever French Open final, having beaten the four-time defending champion to do so.
Iga Świątek may not have been in the most inspired form heading into the tournament, but on clay, she always remains a threat.
And, when she dragged the first set to a tiebreak after a slow start, it seemed like the former world number one was ready to turn this match into a dogfight.
Even in losing that set, her ability to battle back and win the second continued to outline her champion credentials.
However, few would have then predicted what occurred in the third set, as the Belarusian crushed Swiatek and delivered her a ruthless 6-0 set to end her title defence.
How Aryna Sabalenka beat Iga Swiatek at the French Open
For years now, the French Open has been Swiatek’s hunting ground.
She has almost been guaranteed wins with her dominance and mastery of the clay, but this year things felt different.
That aura from years prior was considerably dampened by a tough 12 months, which has also coincided with a trophy drought that has lasted as long. Meanwhile, Sabalenka has not stopped winning.
Therefore, this result should not surprise many, with pundit Rennae Stubbs suggesting there were three crucial factors that contributed to the world number one’s success.
She took to X to simply write: ‘3 words. Confidence, serving, indoors.’
Both players struggled to hold serve at the start of the match, but in the end it was the eventual victor who held her nerve to cement her spot in Saturday’s grand finale.
Paul Annacone’s prediction of the Swiatek vs Sabalenka match has not aged well…
Aryna Sabalenka’s record at Roland Garros
Having reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals in the last two respective years before 2025, it did feel like Sabalenka was building towards a successful run like this.
However, to brush aside the supremely decorated Swiatek on her favoured ground marks a truly outstanding feat.
Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open record
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Q1 | R1 | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | SF | QF | F* |
In 2023, Karolina Muchova stunned the world by knocking out Sabalenka, before Mirra Andreeva did the same the year following.
Now, it will be one of Coco Gauff and Lois Boisson seeking to fell the 27-year-old at the final hurdle.
If they have just watched Sabalenka dismantle Swiatek though, they might not fancy their chances.
