Iga Swiatek outlines Emma Raducanu’s key traits that could cause her problems in their Roland Garros match

With Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek winning their opening matches at Roland Garros, they have set up one of the tournament’s most highly-anticipated second-round clashes.

After all, it pits two former Grand Slam champions against one another.

The latter remains the defending champion at this event, whilst the Brit is still seeking to break back through after a tough few years following her unlikely US Open triumph in 2021.

With plenty of interesting narratives surrounding the clash, both players will naturally feel confident of claiming victory.

Therefore, their respective previews of the match are worth following.

Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek preview their Roland Garros clash

Emma Raducanu was the first to look ahead to one of the outstanding matches of round two, as she reacted immediately after her bruising win over Wang Xinyu.

The Brit claimed: ‘I’m very happy to have given myself another chance in the draw. I felt the noise around the match before even playing the first round so I’m looking forward to going out there with not much pressure on me.

‘I think my game is in a pretty good place, so it’s a good challenge.’

Raducanu admitted she struggled throughout her win over the Chinese 23-year-old, even suffering through a three-minute medical timeout during the second set.

The four-time defending champion then had her say on the upcoming clash: ’Everybody has a different path (…) but for sure she’s a great player and has, you know, great forehand. She can use her topspin pretty well. So we played already, we know each other’s game. For sure I will need to be intense and focus on myself.’

How Emma Raducanu can upset Iga Swiatek at the French Open

Although it will take something big for Raducanu to trouble the five-time Grand Slam champion, now is arguably the best chance she will ever get.

After all, Swiatek seems to be somewhat fragile compared to the unbeatable clay-court menace she has been in recent years.

Her record at the French Open is remarkable, comparable even to that of how Rafael Nadal started his career there.

Iga Swiatek v Emma Raducanu H2H record

However, her preparation has not been so dominant this year, failing to win a single clay tournament in the run-up, losing early in Rome and Stuttgart whilst being comfortably beaten by Coco Gauff in Madrid.

She remains a potent threat, but if Raducanu can regularly get depth in her groundstrokes and prevent Swiatek from dictating points, she could rattle the 23-year-old.

If she is to do the unthinkable, she needs to be relentless and faultless. Hopefully, Raducanu has shaken her illness to give her the best possible chance of accomplishing this feat.