Iga Swiatek said she drew inspiration from US Open winner Naomi Osaka after sweeping into the semi-finals of the French Open on Tuesday by ...
Iga Swiatek said she drew inspiration from US Open winner Naomi Osaka after sweeping into the semi-finals of the French Open on Tuesday by ending the run of Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan.
The Polish teenager followed up her emphatic win over top seed Simona Halep by defeating Trevisan 6-3, 6-1 to set up a meeting with Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska.
“I just knew that I’m not going to play as perfect as with Simona. On my level, it’s impossible to keep that level of consistency,” said Swiatek, who broke the 159th-ranked Trevisan six times.
“I just stayed, like, really down-to-earth and really positive. I did that pretty well.”
World number 131 Podoroska, who had never won a Grand Slam main draw match before the tournament, became the first qualifier in the Open era to reach the women’s last four at Roland Garros.
Swiatek, ranked 54, is also through to her first major semi-final and cited the success of Osaka, who captured her third Grand Slam title last month, as a factor in her breakout performance.
“It was inspiring,” Swiatek said of Osaka’s return to form in New York after an indifferent 18 months for the Japanese star.
“I also know I can do better sometimes. I just kept working. Naomi is a good example of...
