Michel Euler/Associated Press

Iga Swiatek Upsets No. 4 Sofia Kenin to Win 1st French Open Title

Tim Daniels

Iga Swiatek completed one of the most unexpectedly dominant runs to a major title in Grand Slam history Saturday with a straight-sets victory (6-4, 6-1) over fourth-seeded Sofia Kenin in the 2020 French Open women's final at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.

Swiatek, a 19-year-old rapidly rising star who hadn't advanced beyond the fourth round in her first six major appearances, didn't drop a single set during her run to the French Open championship.

The journey featured wins over top seed Simona Halep, No. 15 seed Marketa Vondrousova and 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard. The triumph over Halep was the most impressive as she dropped just three games to the 2018 Roland Garros champion.

It was a remarkable run after entering the season's final Grand Slam ranked No. 54 in the world.

Swiatek came out firing on all cylinders to win the first three games of the championship match. After Kenin fought back to level the set, the Polish standout broke her American counterpart's serve two straight times to claim the opening set.

Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open winner, wasn't at her best in the first set, compiling just six winners compared to 13 unforced errors.

Any hope of a comeback for the American began to fade after she received treatment for an existing injury to her left leg, which was heavily wrapped, early in the second set.

Swiatek won every game from that point forward to close out the match. She recorded 11 winners and two unforced errors in the final set to finish her flawless run to the championship.

The triumph in Paris puts Swiatek on the fast track to become one of tennis' newest superstars. It wasn't a fluke. She faced a difficult draw and not only responded by winning seven straight matches to claim her first major title, but she also did it in overwhelming fashion.

Although her performance will cause expectations to skyrocket for 2021 and beyond, she's clearly got the game to regularly contend for titles, and playing such a strong match in her first appearance on the Grand Slam title stage illustrated an impressive amount of mental toughness.

Based on her play over the past two weeks, it'd be a surprise if Swiatek doesn't finish next year inside the top 10 of the WTA Tour rankings, and that's a conservative estimate.

Meanwhile, the 2020 French Open will conclude with the men's final Sunday as 12-time Roland Garros champ Rafael Nadal takes on 17-time major winner Novak Djokovic.

   

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