Key events
Swiatek clambers up the seating to hug her friends and family, and checks out her phone sitting back down on the court. Paolini sits, pensive, staring into space, outclassed on the court but never gave up.
Swiatek wins the French Open 6-1, 6-2.
Swiatek 6-1, 6-2 Paolini Swiatek pauses, serving for the match. Paolini tries to take the offensive but goes wide with a backhand. Then a miss from Swiatek. Two huge smashes eventually defeat the scurrying Paolini but she is tenacious and pulls back to 30-30. Soon enough though, comes Championship point, and she collects with a beaut of a serve, and Paolini returns long. Swiatek falls to her knees, the youngest player to win four titles in the Open era. They shake hands and hug warmly at the net. What a player!
*Swiatek 5-1, 6-2 Paolini (*denotes next server) Paolini wins the first point of her serve, and goes 30-15 up when Swaitek nets. An uncharacteristic unforced error from Swiatek, then she wins the game with a killer forehand down the line! Gets on the board.
Swiatek 5-0, 6-2 Paolini* (*denotes next server) Huge applause as Paolini hits a winner, a beautiful backhand volley at the net takes it to 30-30. Paolini allows herself a grin and the crowd bursts into applause – they want more than an hour of this! Lots of men in shades and baseball caps in the players’ area stroke their chins. Swiatek goes to game point with a cross-court winner and Paolini hits the net to hand her the game. Paolini must serve to stay in the match.
Swiatek* 4-0, 6-2 Paolini (*denotes next server) Swiatek’s forehand is long to give Paolini a moment of breathing space at 15-0 on her own serve. But soon the Swiatek machine rolls back into action, prowling the court, long legs, dynamic cross court forehand winner. Paolini saves her first break point but Swiatek snatches the second with a double handed backhand cross court winner and shakes her fist in hunger for more. Paolini’s ninth consecutive lost game.
Swiatek 3-0, 6-2 Paolini* (*denotes next server) Swiatek on a different level and takes the game to love in the pinch of a moment.
*Swiatek 2-0, 6-2 Paolini (*denotes next server) Paolini, lemon yellow skirt, lemon and white top, shakes her head as Swiatek goes to 15-40 on her serve. She saves the first break point with her first ace of the match (and grins ) and pulls things back to deuce when Swiatek hits long. Misses a game point and is broken after a wild forehand. Her seventh consecutive game lost.
Swiatek 1-0, 6-2 Paolini* (*denotes next server) They sweep the court between sets, Paolini will be wanting to sweep away the memory of that first set, which she started so well but Swiatek grew to dominate. A lovely passing shot gives her the first point of the second set, but Swiatek wins the rest to take the game to 15. John McEnroe says Paolini needs to reach into her drop shot collection rather than try and beat Swiatek with pace.
Swiatek wins the first set 6-2
Swiatek* 6-2 Paolini (*denotes next server) Serving to stay in the first set, Paolini goes 40–0 down after hitting the net, and then going long twice. For for the first time, as she collects a ball from the ball-boy, she shows a head shake of frustration. A killer forehand return and the set is Swiatek’s.
Swiatek 5-2 Paolini* (*denotes next server) Swiatek slowly quickly reeling Paolini in – sending her hither and thither and powering up the pace. Paolini saves one first game point with a cross court forehand but loses the next.
Swiatek* 4-2 Paolini (*denotes next server) The commentators wonder whether Paolini has the reservers to play at this level for three sets. Men dressed in cotton T-shirts that make up the Italian flag stand up and cheer but they can’t carry Paolini through her service game and she finishes with a double fault.
Swiatek 3-2 Paolini* (*denotes next server) A huge rally (25 shots) to start the game which Swiatek wins with a backhand cross-court winner to eventually beats the tenacious Paolini. Quickly has three break points but loses the first with another uncharacteristically wild forehand. Collects the game when Paolini goes long.
Swiatek* 2-2 Paolini (*denotes next server) Swiatek in a tie-dye style dress soaks up the pressure and breaks back to love.
Swiatek 1-2 Paolini* (*denotes next server) Paolini has the crowd on side, and a couple of unforced errors suggests it might be getting to Swiatek – going love 30 down on her own serve. A huge rally follows which Paolini sets up with drop shot. She has two break points, another mistake from Swiatek and all of a sudden Paolini has the early break!
Swiatek* 1-1 Paolini (*denotes next server) An excellent start from Paolini, moving confidently and hitting with purpose. Goes 40-0 up, but Swiatek drags it back to deuce and then to advantage with tenacity and a couple of huge cross court forehands. Paolini saves one break point and goes on to take the game when Swiatek hits long.
Swiatek 1-0 Paolini* (*denotes next server) Swiatek wins the first two points, Paolini gets on the board with a backhand from the edge of the tramlines and down the line . Swiatek responds with an excellent serve. Two game points for Swiatek, she wins the second with an ace.
Big cheers for both players as they warm up, Swiatek in a white baseball cap, Paolini’s pony tail bouncing perkily. “Iga Swiatek has never lost a Grand Slam final,” say the commentators, “Jasmine Paolini has never won one.” Swiatek to serve first.
Three minutes left of warm-up on Court Philippe Chatrier. There is very little wind today to complement the cloudless skies.
In a victory for little women everywhere, Paolini is only five foot four, while Swiatek stands at five feet nine.
Tim Henman is analysing the Paolini game. “Her return of serve is going to be critical today. Against Rybakina, her return point was extremely varied and she gets the ball deep, neutralising the serve.”
And here come the players, Paolini bouncy and smiling, Swiatek in headphones and also smiling.
With the sun out in Paris and the players due on court in less than ten minutes, here is Tumaini’s preview:
Head to heads
Swiatek and Paolini have met twice in the past, Swaitek winning both games. Swiatek, aged just 17, won 6-2, 6-1 in a 2018 Czech ITF challenger and in 2022 won 6-3, 6-0 en route to the US Open title.
A late bloomer: Jasmine Paolini
It seems outrageous to call a 28 year old sapling a late bloomer but, in tennis terms, Paolini is. Up until the beginning of this year, she had only won four Grand Slam matches from a total of 16.
2024, however, has seen something of a turnaround. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, danced in the top 20 after winning the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championship and has now clawed her way into the French Open Final. “ To dream,” she told the crowd after winning her semi-final, “is the most important thing in sport.”
Trivia fact – both finalists speak Polish, as Paolini’s mother has Polish heritage and spoke Polish to her at home.
Eyes on Swiatek
At just 23, Swiatek has played in four Grand Slam finals – and won all of them. She was triumphant at the US Open in 2022 and at Roland-Garros in 2020, 2022 and 2023. And has won 20 consecutive matches on the Paris clay.
Lindsay Davenport was pretty blunt on the Tennis Channel: “Iga Swiatek is as big a favorite as you could possibly be in a Grand Slam final.
Naomi Osaka did test her properly in the third round, losing 7-6, 1-6, 7-5, something to give a glimmer of hope to Paolini. Here is Tuamaini Carayol’s report of that game:
Preamble
Good afternoon! Welcome to our coverage of the women’s singles final between Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini in Paris. The No. 1 seed’s arrival in the final is no surprise – the queen of clay has been in majestic form since coming back from match point against Naomi Osaka in the third round, and is now on course to become only the third woman to win three successive French titles in the open era – after Justine Henin. and Monica Seles
Paolini’s position the other side of the net is more of an eye-opener, having never previously gone beyond the second round in Paris. At 28, she is finally finding her wings. Can she overturn the odds and defeat Swiatek? We will find out soon.
Play starts at 2pm BST.
