Iga Swiatek dismissed Emma Raducanu’s game as predictable after recording her fifth consecutive win over the British No.2 without dropping a set. The defending French Open champion beat Raducanu 6-1 6-2 in 79 minutes to breeze through to the third round.
The Pole has struggled for form over the last 12 months and has not reached a final since winning her fourth title here last June. But in her courtside TV interview, Swiatek said: “I felt good on court for sure, so I felt I could do whatever I had planned to do or whatever I wanted to do.”
Asked to explain her good record against her fellow Grand Slam winner, the world No.5 said: “Well, there are players that just have the ball that it’s for some of us it’s a little bit easier, others don’t like it. You know, there are some players that, I don’t know, you just kind of know what you’re going to do a little bit.
“I just think it’s a kind of matchup. That’s why in tennis sometimes it’s hard to judge everything, like, players’ shape and everything. Because there are some matches where, I don’t know, this girl likes to play with this one, it’s going to be pretty one sided, but this girl doesn’t like to play with the same one.
“It doesn’t really matter. I know Emma can also play great tennis, because like when we played in Stuttgart, it was, like, pretty intense and tight. I was ready for everything. And I’m happy that I was focused on myself to just kind of play my game and then lead with it.
“Did Emma play as I was expecting today? A little bit. But I think all of us know how we play. It’s just a matter of, like, working with it on court and just, I don’t know, just putting your quality in everything.”
“In her pre-match interview with the BBC, Raducanu said: “She gets really fired up when she plays me – I don’t know why that is but she’s always played really well. I’m not sure if it is a me thing but every time we have played she has been high level.”
Swiatek extended her winning streak to 23 matches here in pursuit of a fourth consecutive titles. “I played two good matches, but I can’t expect that, you know, it’s all going to be easy now.
“So I hope you guys don’t do that, as well. Because you always need to be, like, on your toes and ready for what life brings you. And sometimes, yeah, as I said, one day it’s going to be good, one day it’s not going to be so easy.
“For sure coming here to Roland Garros, I feel like I like this place, I always played well here. It gives you some positive kick. Honestly, it’s always you that needs to do the work, anyway.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk