Defending champion Iga Swiatek showcased resilience and solidity in her 6-2,7-5 victory against Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian. But little did she get time to celebrate her victory, though! As she feared, she would meet her nemesis, Jelena Ostapenko, who has a tremendous record against the Pole in her next match. The Latvian has a 6-0 record against Swiatek and had in fact defeated her in the QF of the 2025 Stuttgart Open by 6-3,3-6,6-2. After that match, Ostapenko said, “Every time I step on the court with her, it’s another battle. I’m ready for it. Even if I don’t feel great on the day, I will just fight and leave it all on the court.” It’s quite astonishing to see a player who is known for her ruthless style of play getting ended up in such a one-sided battle against someone like Ostapenko. Did Swiatek have a preference for her fourth-round match at Roland Garros, though?
Well, if we take a look at their rivalry, Iga Swiatek first met Jelena Ostapenko in Birmingham in 2019. The Latvian had then won the match by 6-0,6-2. Overall, Ostapenko has beaten her four times on hard courts, once on grass, and once on clay. Talking about this rivalry, recently, Jelena Ostapenko was asked to share her thoughts on the possibility of a French Open clash. Her reply to this was, “I don’t pay attention to what is said about our rivalry, I don’t think like that. I have a lot of respect for Iga as a tennis player. I focus primarily on myself because if I play as well as I can, I can beat all the players.“
But having said that, she also mentioned, “Iga is called the queen of clay, but I can be called that too.” For those unaware, Ostapenko has also won the French Open title in 2017. In 2023, speaking about her rivalry with Ostapenko, Swiatek said, “I don’t like playing with Ostapenko. There are simply some players who are uncomfortable to play with. I bet she has the opposite situation and she especially likes my style.” Then, yet again after their Stuttgart clash earlier this year, Iga Swiatek reacted to her sixth straight loss to the same opponent and responded to a reporter who claimed she looked a bit “irritated” during the match.
Swiatek said, “I think today was a tight match, so for sure I had my chances to win. Before, like, for sure, like, these matches were different. Like, she went for it and she was smashing every ball kind of perfectly. Today she didn’t, she made some mistakes. I had my chances. I just didn’t use them.” Does Jelena Ostapenko still haunt the four-time French Open champion? Well, following her win against Cristian, she appeared at the press conference, and during that, one of the journalists asked her if she had any preference about who to play in her next match. In reply, she simply said “No” and then burst out in laughter. Later on, she added, “Let’s say it doesn’t matter, really. Oh my God. I couldn’t play poker!“
Iga Swiatek was asked if she’d prefer to face Ostapenko or Rybakina next at Roland Garros
“Do you have a preference?”
Iga: “No”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 30, 2025
Iga Swiatek hasn’t been in great form this season. Her last title triumph came at the 2024 French Open, and in fact, she entered this tournament following her early exit from the Italian Open. Facing Jeļena Ostapenko in the fourth round itself would have been the last thing she would have wanted! But thankfully for the Pole, Elena Rybakina has perhaps fulfilled her wish now. But how?
Iga Swiatek is all set to face Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of the French Open
The former world number 3, Elena Rybakina, took down Jelena Ostapenko in the third-round clash by 6-2,6-2. With this win, she has not only secured her spot in the next round but also helped Iga Swiatek avoid the ‘Penko’ threat! Rybakina’s best record at the French Open has been reaching the QFs twice (2021,2024), and she has a 4-4 record against the Pole. Guess what? This will be their third meeting this season. Iga Swiatek has won both of their previous matches.
What did Rybakina say about this meeting? Did she have any idea about who she was going to face in the next round? “I think I know who I’m gonna play next. But I usually don’t really look at the draw. Because you never know what’s gonna happen. Since the draw is getting small, of course, I know my next opponent. I’ll try to do my best.“
On the other hand, Iga Swiatek is currently on a 24-match winning streak at Roland Garros. She seems to be breaking records at will, here! Shortly, after becoming the only player to reach the third round in all 21 singles Grand Slam tournaments played since 2020, the Pole (38-2) has now become the player with the most number of women’s singles main draw wins at the French Open in the Open Era after their 40 matches, equaling the seven-time French Open champion, Chris Evert. Who between Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina do you think has a greater chance of winning this blockbuster fourth-round clash on Parisian clay?
The post ‘Couldn’t Play Poker’- Iga Swiatek Hilariously Shrugs Off French Open Opponent as Tough Matchup Awaits appeared first on EssentiallySports.