Iga Swiatek finds her mojo as she digs in and stages thrilling comeback to beat Elena Rybakina and avoid punishing French Open knockout
Aryna Sabalenka 's tight straight-sets win over Amanda Anisimova, Zheng Qinwen's three-set victory against Liudmila Samsonova, Elina Svitolina 's Houdini act from a set and 4-1 down to Jasmine Paolini - any of these would have graced Philippe Chatrier under the lights.
But the match of the day was Iga Swiatek against Elena Rybakina. The four-time champion Swiatek, so wobbly this year, so vulnerable to sustained aggression, lost eight of the first nine games. At 6-1, 2-0, former Wimbledon champion Rybakina was in sublime form.
So close to another humiliating defeat, the real Swiatek emerged and said: Not this time. The No 5 seed dug in and after two sets of sensational ball-striking back and forth, prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
'It means a lot,' said the Pole, 24. 'I needed that kind of win to feel I'm able to win under pressure, even if it's not going the right way. It's a great confirmation. I'm happy that I fought and problem-solved.'
Swiatek has been doing neither of those things recently, and if she goes on to deliver a fourth title in a row here and relocate her mojo, this match can be chalked up as the turning point.
Kudos, too, to her coach Wim Fissette, whose excellent resume has not been improved by presiding over her decline. Swiatek began to stand further back to return Rybakina's serve and that gave her the breathing room she needed.
'Wim convinced me to try it out,' said Swiatek. 'I wasn't sure if that's my thing, because a few years back when I started being more aggressive, I started winning more.
'But girls are serving faster now, there are limits to what you can react to. The coaching really helped me today; I wouldn't come up with this myself.'
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