Do not talk to him about bicycles. Like Rafael Nadal, who hates to dwell on the score of a match won "easily", Iga Swiatek refuses to enter any form of chambering. So when the world number one won her 3rd round by sticking a 6-0, 6-0 to the Chinese Xinyu Wang, no question of joke. "I don't want to answer your question," she tells a reporter when asked if she plans to open a "bicycle factory." I want to focus on tennis and I want to give my opponent all the respect she deserves."
A respect that the Pole offers on the court by sweeping her opponents. The "bicycle wheels", the "bubbles", nicknames that are given to this score of 6-0 in a set, Iga Swiatek is used to it. The double winner of Roland-Garros (2020, 2022) has already stuck four since the beginning of the fortnight of this 2023 edition. Over seven sets played, that's a lot. "I understand why you're talking about it," Swiatek said at a news conference. It's entertaining, it's funny, it makes everyone laugh. But you don't see everything that goes on behind the scenes. It's not easy to play these games and these are scores that can be difficult for the opponent."
đź“Š Iga Swiatek's journey to qualify for the 1/4 finals of Roland Garros: 1/64 vs Bucsa: 6/4 6/0 (1h13) 1/32 vs Liu: 6/4 6/0 (1h29) 1/16 vs Wang:
▪️ 6/0 6/0 (0h51)
▪️
▪️
▪️ 1/8 vs Tsurenko: 5/1 ab. (0:31)
➡️ 4 hours and 4 minutes
➡️ 9 games lost pic.twitter.com/kSSSaf87e6
— Game, Set and Math (@JeuSetMaths) June 5, 2023
A reality that the 22-year-old prodigy does not live only at Roland-Garros but throughout the year. Since the beginning of 2023, she has played 77 sets and won 14 of them 6-0, or 18.1% of the total! Nearly one set out of five concluded by a "bubble", it is a record on the circuit. Since the beginning of his professional career, at the end of 2018? 467 sets played, 71 won with a 6-0, or 15% of the total. Again, it's huge. The results show all her dominance and a power that allows her to spend less time than others on the court: on this Roland-Garros, she has only 4:04 of play in four matches.
"She's so ready to fight"
"The explanation comes from his state of mind," said Belgium's Kim Clijsters, former world number one and winner of four Grand Slam titles. She is so ready to fight, from the first point. She is an example for all the other players: the intensity she puts on every shot, the quality she imposes ... Above all, it does not experience many ups and downs. And even if she has a drop in speed, she keeps the moment as short as possible. It's very hard to beat someone who is so involved in every point. It moves well, it serves well... It's just one of the best, the best! »
Next opponent on the board? American Coco Gauff, number 6 in the world ranking. A tough opponent to fight? Not sure in view of their history: 6 confrontations, 6 victories for Iga Swiatek. All without a set lost and two 6-0 inflicted, in San Diego and at the WTA Finals in 2022, without forgetting of course the lesson in the final of Roland-Garros last year: 6-1, 6-3. The suspense of this quarter-final seems limited. Iga Swiatek is not in Paris to waste time but to write his story and join Serena Williams, Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez with three titles on the list.
