French Open quarter-finals: Swiatek routs Vondrousova to set up Gauff clash – live | French Open 2024

I guess the only way to beat Swiatek is how Stan Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to win his three major finals: go all out and hope you have the best day of your career. Perhaps Rybakina can beat her, too, albeit on clay that feels like a stretch and after all, she moves so well that it’s hard to see in detail how anyone hoping to beat her could do so.

Next in Chatrier: Grigor Dimitrov (10) with Yannick Sinner (2).

“Everything works,” says Swiatek. She is serving better, which boosts her confidence, she plays “quite hard” and can play her game “without overthinking anything”.

Today was “pretty clear,” she says. She wanted to play her game, whatever came from Vondrousova, and she was in the zone today. She has also defeated Gauff in a French Open Championship final – 2022 was the year – but she will focus on herself, “prepare tactically and we’ll see”.

Finally, she thanks the Polish fans in the crowd and everyone else, then leaves. She is great.

I’m sure Gauff will come up with something but Vondrousova is a great player and a great winner, made to look like a child. It wasn’t far from perfect, and if she keeps it up, it probably doesn’t matter what anyone else does. Maybe – maybe – Sabalenka can hit her if her drops work too, but real talk, you feel sorry for anyone forced to face this.

Iga Svetek (1) defeated Marketa Vondrousova (5) 6-0 6-2

Oh my God. Vondrousova doubles, then nets, and at 0-30 that might be a very modest concession; Can she find the first serve? She can, Swiatek’s return drops a little long – it’s just her 10th unforced error – but another barrage, mainly of forehands, opens up the court for a winner that Vondrousova all but takes because what else can she do? Match point for the champion!

Down 15-30, Svetek finds the big serve she’s looking for, then Vondrousova nets. The Czech is playing well but just can’t find enough back-to-back good points to make an impact and despite attacking a second serve when she’s in the lower game, she can only drag it into the net and it’s now a game from defeat. Svetek 6-0 5-2 Vondrousova

Swiatek makes it 0-15 and although Vondrousova finds a winner to level the game, the problem is that she needs the likes to win every rally. A double follows instead, but she does well to make it 40-30, then another fine point, finished off with a volley at the net, keeps the second set adrift at one break. Swiatek leads 6-0 4-2.

What is particularly troublesome about Swiatek is her consistency. She offers so few bad balls, and with that comes pressure: Vondrousova knows that anything vaguely short or soft needs treatment, because otherwise there’s an inevitable winner. Swiatek takes it easy and at 6-0 4-1 is almost there, her opponent lacks the heavy artillery needed to trouble her.

Swiatek is so good at finishing points where she’s up, a forehand stuck in the corner, giving her 15-30. And when Vondrousova goes long, she concedes two break points… but Swiatek only needs one, the barrage of balls she asks to return forcing her to send one wide that she shouldn’t. The champion leads 6-0 3-1 and it only goes one way; imagine how disconcerting it is to know that the freak on the other side of the net is just going to keep hitting you until you fold.

Now then: Vondrousova is 0-30 and this feels like a quarter chance that should be taken. But a big first serve, down the line and into the body, sets up the next point, a groundstroke falls long and Swiatek looks to have taken control of the game again … but a weak second serve is smashed back past her and it’s break point! Vondrousova also plays it well, but fails to make a pass past the borg in the net and back at deuce, Svetek closes. However, she is not hitting as well as before and her opponent is playing better. Svetek 6-0 2-1 Vondrousova

Vondrousova strains every sinew, making it 40-15 and as it reaches the net, Swiatek’s pass attempt falls wide. The Czech is on board, and Swiatek’s streak ends at 20. Too bad.

Swiatek has now won three straight sets 6-0; rrrridiculous in any context, never mind in the last 16 and last 8 of the Slam. She hits him so hard and with such disguise that Vondrous simply can’t compete; break in the next game and we can start thinking about how Gauff can build a strategy to beat her in the semis. Svetek 6-0 1-0 Vondrousova

Brad Gilbert, Gauff’s coach stayed on the court to scout his protégé’s next opponent. Come disguised as you like, old friend, but we’ll find you.

At all 15 Vondrousova tries to fall; Swiatek rushes in and returns victorious. But at 30 total, a double off a set point and a relentless backhand drive secured a bagel – the champion’s third of the championship. She is an absolute tomboy. Svetek 6-0 Vondrousova

Down 15-0, Vondrousova slams a backhand return down the line for a winner… for all the good it does her. Swiatek stormed through the rest of the game, securing a 5-0 lead, and unlike Volynets, she probably won’t let her back into the match after giving her a bagel in the first set.

How does Vondrousova work her way into this match? Some first serves would have been nice, but when she got one at 15-0, Swiatek returned it with interest, then dominated the next rally for 15-30. And at 30 total, a much longer rally, Vondrousova, heading here and there, finishes with another Swiatek forehand, the double break averted – perhaps temporarily – only when a backhand is swept wide. No matter: Swiatek steps forward to send a forehand winner… but Vondrosova has made her left swing work now, preventing two more break points before pinning her opponent with a drop. Our first game was fun, but it didn’t peak because we didn’t reach the legendary point of both players playing well at the same time; the question here is whether it will make any difference if Vondrousova plays well or if Swiatek is just too good. Well yes, maybe this. After doubling game point, more forehands set up a winner down the line… but the Wimbledon champion responds with a winner of her own, out of nowhere, to restore deuce. So Swiatek comes in and hits another forehand to set up another break point and a backhand winner, again on the chalk, and that’s the double break at 4-0! However, Vondrousova is actually playing well, so even if that set isn’t there, the match has some mileage in it. Svetek 4-0 Vondrousova

Swiatek opens his shoulders to punish an inside-out forehand into the corner, the body serve that follows is too good and she comes out furious and ready to go. She leads 3-0 and so far the gap in class looks huge.

Simply put! As Swiatek hits it beautifully, powerful forehands win 0-30; Vondrousova closes to 15-40, only for the same thing to happen and on break point she creates one break. The champion crumbles at the very first question and since Osaka shocked her, she has been brilliant.

Swiatek starts with an easy enough hold, but Vondrous seems to be hitting well.

And play…

Vondrousova can be something of a slow starter, both in tournaments and matches. She won’t get away with it against Swiatek, but if she does from the start, she’s the game to make things difficult; not the way Naomi Osaka did, because she doesn’t have that kind of power, but she has a good command of angles and spins to keep opponents off balance. We will see.

Here are our players…

Next in Chatrier: Iga Svetek (1) against Marketa Vondrousova (5).

This last point is crucial: she did what she had to to win, and it always seemed as if she knew what it was and Jaber did not. But really, the question of having fun win or lose is also crucial, because having won a major, she already knows that she can and also that she won’t finish her career without it; Ons can’t say the same and this stress is telling itself.

Gauff says that Jabeur is a well-liked and difficult opponent; she knows the crowd loves her, cheers Ons when she’s not playing against her, and loves the atmosphere, telling herself when she goes to the bathroom mid-match that “it’s really fun whether you win or lose.”

She really appreciates the support she’s getting, hoping the crowd will be with her next round and says she tried to be really aggressive towards the end after having a lot of winners against her – something she’s not used to. She was tight at the end but did what she had to do to win.

Coco Gauff (3) beat Ons Jabeur (8) 4-6 6-2 6-3

My God! Jaber has some serious moxie, strokes a drop to score Gauff, sends it back via lob, then tickles a second drop! Fantastic behavior! But then she cuts a pitiful back to the net, surrendering a third match point in the process!

A blasted forehand put Jabeur at 0-15, then a double compounded the deficit. In Gauff’s box her mother gives her see, but when the return falls, she throws it all in to the backhand winner, which is half of the amounts in arrears. And what a comeback Jabeur then finds… only to mess with his feet at the net, blazed wide with a volley; 30-all, Gauff two points clear. However, Jabeur muscles a forehand down the line which is too good … only for her next return to drift long! That’s right, Gauff takes a deep breath to compose himself before sending his first serve out; here comes Jabeur! But unloading the suitcase, the ball at shoulder height, she can only drag it into the net; Gauff has a second match point!

Jaber knows, I’m afraid, and she lands a forehand for 0-15, then heads to the corners, drifts long. Even when a big inside-outside player closes the gap and a big first serve plus one makes it 30-all, it’s no surprise when Gauff finds a good backhand that’s too good, raising match point; Jaber saves it well though. And when, on advantage, Gauff’s forehand – no, that’s not a typo – restores deuce, Jaber wins game point for the second time, then, chasing the forehand corner, draws an absurd drop that dies just over the net! At 5-3 in the third, Gauff would have to serve for the match.