Thanks for tuning into Sportstar 's live coverage of the 2022 French Open women's singles final between Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. This was Nihit Sachdeva taking you through the action as it unfolded on the Philippe-Chatrier Court at Roland Garros in Paris.
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That's it for today. Do join us tomorrow for the live coverage of the men's singles final between 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and first-time Grand Slam finalist Norwegian Caspur Ruud.
Swiatek says, "First of all, I just want to congratulate you (Gauff), you're doing an amazing job, I can see each month you're progressing ... When I was your age, I had my first year on tour & I had no idea what I was doing, basically."
She thanks her team, sponsors, the French Tennis Federation and also continues to extend her support for Ukraine, a country that has been ravaged by Moscow's invasion.
And now, the 2022 French Open women's champion, world number one Iga Swiatek who receives the prestigious Suzanne Lenglen Cup for the second time in her young career but unlike last year, she can celebrate in front of a packed crowd. The presentation is followed by the Polish national anthem.
Gauff says, "First I want to congratulate Iga. What you've done on tour the past couple months has truly been amazing. You totally deserve it.
"Hopefully we can play each other in more finals and maybe I can get a win over you one of these days."
First up, it is the runner-up, the impressive American teenager Coco Gauff, who did not drop a single set on her way to the final. She still has a chance to win her first Grand Slam title in Paris as she, along with compatriot Jessica Pegula, will take on the all-French pair of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the women's doubles final on Sunday.
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Iga Swiatek has been supremely dominant for the last three months. Thirty five wins in a row and the last one of them in a Grand Slam final - can there be a better story? Wait for the presentation ceremony to listen to both the finalists.
Look who's there to congratulate the Polish tennis star!
SECOND SET (* denotes server)
Gauff 3-6 Swiatek* - A gentle second serve from Swiatek allows Gauff to get into the rally but Swiatek does make up for it by forcing the teenager wide and Coco's backhand return goes beyond the baseline. A brilliant down the line forehand from Gauff dips just enough to find the baseline- 15-all. Wide serve from the world number one and Gauff falters on the return. Gauff's forehand return goes long and Iga Swiatek wins her second French Open title 6-1, 6-3 in 68 minutes. Not only that, but with her 35th consecutive victory, world number Swiatek equals Venus Williams' record of the longest WTA winning streak since 2000.
Gauff* 3-5 Swiatek - Gauff serving to stay in the set and the match. Wide serve from the teenager and Swiatek's corss court forehand goes wide. An unforced backhand error from Gauff makes it 15-all. Another error from the American world number 23, this time on the forehand side. Better serve down the T sets up the forehand winner for Gauff 30-all. A timely ace for Gauff and she has a game point. A body serve, well thought, but an equally outstanding backhand return down the line from Swiatek - deuce. Gauff holds. Swiatek will have to serve for the title.
Gauff 2-5 Swiatek* - Swiatek serves. Gauff goes 30-15 up as another short ball means Swiatek's backhand fails to go over the net. A soft second serve from Swiatek but somehow, Coco hits the backhand return wide - 30-all. Gauff wrongfoots Iga and decides to go for the forehand down the line. Right thinking but fails to execute it as the ball goes into the net. Swiatek holds to go 5-2 up.
Gauff* 2-4 Swiatek - A crucial service game for Gauff as the momentum is well and truly with the Polish world number one. Slower first serves allowing Swiatek to blast the returns and draw out the forehand errors from Gauff and go 30-0 up. Nothing on the second serve at 15-30 from Gauff and Swiatek unleashes a glorious backhand down the line winner. Swiatek breaks and goes 4-2 ahead. Four games in a row for the ruthless world number one.
Gauff 2-3 Swiatek* - Swiatek, after a brief spell of uncertainty, is back in her element with superb first serves forcing Gauff to makes errors on the return. Excellent set up and a forehand down the line to finish things off. Swiatek holds to go up 3-2.
Gauff* 2-2 Swiatek - Gauff, serving, finds herself in trouble at 0-30 down. A double fault at 15-30 and with two break points on offer, Swiatek is back in the set. Gauff tries to find the line with her forehand but puts a little too much on it. Swiatek gets the break back.
Gauff 2-1 Swiatek* - Swiatek gets right on top of the Gauff return and hits a wicked cross court forehand winner. Perfect backhand down the line and the world number one goes 30-0. A bit of variation from Gauff - a deadly drop shot to in response to Swiatek's backhand. No worries for Swiatek though as she serves the game out with an excellent down the line forehand winner. Still, Gauff up by a break.
Gauff* 2-0 Swiatek - Gauff to serve and consolidate the break. Gauff dropping the ball short and somehow, Swiatek is struggling to handle that. Two game points for Gauff at 40-15 but she wastes the first one by hitting the forehand into the net. However, she does the convert with a textbook down the line forehand winner on Swiatek's slice.
Gauff 1-0 Swiatek* - Swiatek serves first in the second set. Well, well, well. Gauff ups the ante and puts pressure on Swiatek with some absolutely gorgeous returns and guess what, Gauff breaks.
FIRST SET (* denotes server)
Gauff* 1-6 Swiatek - Gauff serving to stay in the set. Sturdy defence from Swiatek at 15-all forces Gauff to go for a forehand winner and she overhits it. A cross court backhand winner for Swiatek to go 40-15 up and earn two set points. Gauff saves one but sends the backhand long in the next rally. Swiatek takes the opening set 6-1 in 32 minutes.
Gauff 1-5 Swiatek* - Swiatek sets the point up with a wide serve but the forehand down-the-line just lands beyond the baseline. Swiatek dictates the short 7-shot rally and Gauff's running cross court forehand goes off the court. Attacking play from Gauff as she forces the Polish world number one back with some strong backhand shots and eventually draws a false forehand. Swiatek makes it 30-all with a powerful first serve as Gauff barely gets a racqeut on it. Longest rally of the match (15 shots), Swiatek goes for an audacious down-the-line forehand winner and finds the junction of the baseline and the inner side line. Swiatek up 5-1.
Gauff* 1-4 Swiatek - An important service game for Gauff if she wants to stay in the first set and she starts well to go 30-0 up. A forehand error and a double fault and that decent start vanishes in no time for Gauff - 30-all. A game point for Gauff as an out-of-position Swiatek sends the backhand wide. The American hits the forehand without much footwork and pays the price for it - deuce. A backhand winner for Gauff followed by a long forehand from Iga - the American teenager holds. That ought to give her some confidence.
Gauff 0-4 Swiatek* - Gauff is facing some real problems with her forehand as she sends the return long on Swiatek's wide serve. One more error on the forehand for the world number 23 and Swiatek has three game points. Finally, much better forehand shots from Coco as she unleashes one down-the-line winner. Not for long though as the next one goes wide and Swiatek goes 4-0 up.
Gauff* 0-3 Swiatek - Swiatek's quick ball-striking allows Gauff no chance to time the forehand. A scintillating down-the-line backhand winner for Swiatek to earn two break points. Excellent serve down the T from Gauff to Swiatek's forehand to make it 40-all. A wayward forehand return from Gauff gifts Swiatek another break point. However, the Polish world number fails to convert it as she decides to go down the centre with her forehand after a weak forehand shot from the teenager who then hits the return back at Swiatek. Swiatek's volley goes beyond the baseline. Gauff goes for the line with her forehand and misses it by quite some distance and Swiatek gets another chance to break. Yet again, Swiatek fails to wrong foot Gauff with her forehand near the net and Gauff saves the break point with THE shot - backhand down the line pass. Swiatek is relentless and two cross court forehand errors from Gauff give the world number the break.
Gauff 0-2 Swiatek* - Swiatek serves. Unforced errors from both players as the score reads 15-all. A sublime backhand down-the-line winner takes Gauff ahead. A couple of fiece ground strokes from Swiatek before finishing the point with a delicate cross court forehand volley. Strong first serve from Swiatek and Gauff's forehand return goes long. Gauff's backhand is pure class. Another down-the-line winner to make it 40-all. An ace under pressure from Swiatek, wide to Gauff's right. Another wide serve, this time to Gauff's left followed by a forehand down the line in the open court to consolidate the break.
Gauff* 0-1 Swiatek - Gauff to serve first in the final. A nine-shot rally to begin the match with Gauff's cross court forehand hitting the net. Gauff is clearly nervous as she commits a double fault this early in the match. Better first serve and Swiatek hits the forehand return wide. Another good serve from the American but an equally good return from the Polish world number one and Gauff's backhand lands into the net. Gauff's forehand goes long and Swiatek breaks .
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6:41 PM: Warm up is done. Game time!!!
6:35 PM: The two finalists have arrived on court. TOSS - Gauff wins the toss and choses to serve.
6:33 PM: The prestigious Suzanne Lenglen trophy. This is what the two finalists will play for.
6:25 PM: Just five minutes to go for this much-anticipated summit clash
6:15 PM: Exciting, isn't it?
6:10 PM: Can Swiatek match Venus Williams' record of 35 consecutive wins, the longest winning streak on WTA Tour since 2000?
6 PM: Head-to-head record
5:50 PM: How Swiatek and Gauff have reached the final:
5:40 PM: There could not have been a better match up for the 2022 French Open women's singles final. On one hand is the unstoppable world number one Iga Swiatek while on the other, it is the talented American teenager Coco Gauff. Both have had fairly dominant and mostly perfect matches on the way to the summit clash. Will it be a second French Open title for Swiatek or will Gauff become another teenage Grand Slam champion? Live action begins at 6:30 pm IST. Till then, I'll take you through Swiatek-Gauff head-to-head, their run to the final and more. Stay tuned.
MATCH PREVIEW
Iga Swiatek is one step away from a second French Open title in three years, but the world number one will face a unique challenge in teenager Coco Gauff in a tournament that often proved unpredictable.
Poland's Swiatek is on a remarkable 34-match winning streak and should the 2020 Roland Garros champion lift the Suzanne Leglen Cup again, she will match Venus Williams's run from 2000 - the longest on the women' tour in the 2000s.
Her final record is also impressive as the 21-year-old has won the last eight finals she has played, losing more than four games only twice in those matches.
She has a unique game, with her light footwork, powerful forehand, and unsettling slice proving a nightmare to handle as her opponents during this fortnight have realised.
Swiatek has only dropped one set and showed occasional signs of nerves before steamrolling Daria Kasatkina in the semi-finals in an awe-inspiring demonstration of mastery.
Nerves have often been a deciding factor in finals but there is little chance that Swiatek, who has been working with a psychologist, will struggle with her composure.
"I'm just trying to treat these (final) matches as any other matches, because it is stressful, and I accept that. But I want to keep doing the same work," she said.
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"It's been going on well. I'm also aware sometimes my opponents are stressed so I'm trying to kind of realise that and not panic about my own stress.
"Remembering why I got here and what my strengths are, this is really helping me. So I think it's all about the mindset and the preparation I have before the match."
On the other side of the net is an 18-year-old who has developed into a solid claycourt player and will play her second final here after winning the juniors title in 2018.
It will be her first Grand Slam final on the main tour, but Gauff, seeded 18th, insists, she will go into the contest without any pressure.
"I think going in I have nothing to lose and she's definitely the favourite going into the match on paper," said Gauff, who lost her two encounters against Swiatek in straight sets.
"But I think that going in, I'm just going to play free and play my best tennis. I think in a Grand Slam final anything can happen."
Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam champion and Eurosport tennis expert, believes Gauff is one the rare players who can derail Swiatek.
"To me, the only player who can beat Swiatek is a player with a lot of firepower and a big serve," she explained.
"At this point, that’s the way it’s looking. Coco Gauff is the only type of player, and type of game, that can really overpower Iga at this point."
- Reuters
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