French Open 2022 Women's Final Highlights: Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 to win title

How to make tennis relatable to the young audience? This way.

Hah! No tiramisu this time!

THIRTY FIVE-ZERO!

Iga Swiatek is the 2022 French Open champion!

Swiatek in tears as the Polish national anthem plays. “I want to thank my team. Oh my god! Without you I wouldn’t be here. I’m glad every piece is coming together. Thank you for the full support, no matter what, all the time. Also to my dad! I wouldn’t be in the world without you. My sister who is at home. Everyone who is in the box. Thank you! Two years ago this was something amazing. This time I’ve worked hard, did everything to get here. Thank you to the fans for coming. All the Polish flags! Good to have you all here. Thank you tournament direction, FFT, it is always a pleasure to come back, there is extra motivation” She then forgets names of her sponsors. “I still have lot to learn!”

“To Ukraine, stay strong. The world is still there. (crowd applauds) Since my first speech in Doha, I thought situation will get better. But its still there…. I hope to be back next year!”

Coco Gauff in tears. “Hopefully we can play more finals and I can get a game off you one of these days. I’m sorry to my team I wasn’t able to get it done today. Thank you for always supporting me. It means a lot that you were cheering me on even when I wasn’t playing well. Thank you!”

Swiatek thanking her team for the effort

Lovely embrace at the net

Alexa, define perfection!

IGA SWIATEK IS THE FRENCH OPEN CHAMPION!

Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 to be crowned the French Open champion. She repeats her achievement from 2020 to win a second Grand Slam title. By winning today, she equals Venus Williams with 35 straight matches won – longest run in the 21st century.

Swiatek 6-1, 6-3 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Swiatek serving for the title. Starts off by forcing Gauff into sending the ball long. Gauff with a beautiful forehand into the corner. Plenty of topspin on it which affected the trajectory. Looked to be going long, possibly to Swiatek too. Big hitting from both players before Swiatek’s meaty backhand is far too big for Gauff’s liking. Gauff sends the backhand long on the serve and it brings up two championship points. Miss from Gauff and that’s GAME, SET, MATCH IGA SWIATEK!

Swiatek* 6-1, 5-3 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff serving to stay in this French Open final. Back-to-back shots into the net and the game moves to 15-30. Gauff looking to be aggressive but Swiatek has been excellent with her defence. A big serve and then a forehand winner with the court gaping to make it 30-30. ACE! A 190kmph serve down the T and it is 40-30. An equally huge serve next but it is directed by Swiatek for a winner – using the power of the serve there. Swiatek’s backhand hits the top of the net and doesn’t go over and Gauff has another chance to hold. Swiatek’s return goes wide and Gauff breaks the game streak at 5.

Swiatek 6-1, 5-2 *Gauff (* denotes next server)

Five games on the trot for Iga Swiatek! She gets plenty of pace behind her backhand with precision. The backhand winner down the line sees her hold serve and go one game away from the title!

Swiatek* 6-1, 4-2 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Four straight games for Iga Swiatek now! She has absolutely turned things around and out of nowhere. All the momentum that Gauff had built is gone in a flash. Swiatek goes behind Gauff on the short ball and the American’s desperate return sails long. DOUBLE BREAK!

Swiatek 6-1, 3-2 *Gauff (* denotes next server)

A love hold from Swiatek. She gets the job done with a thundering forehand winner down the line and Gauff can only look on. The Pole winning the last three games and 10 of the last 12 points

Swiatek* 6-1, 2-2 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff starts the fourth game with a lazy forehand that finds the net. And then a drop shot that doesn’t go over. At 15-30, a double fault gives Swiatek two break back points. And BREAK! All of Gauff’s efforts are gone rather quickly. That was a loose game. Sidenote: the lights are now on inside Court Philippe Chatrier.

Swiatek 6-1, 1-2 *Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff has found her touch in the second set. Excellent touch to play a sweetly struck drop shot and Swiatek is unable to chase it down. Two points later she does close the game out – with a forehand winners – and gets herself on the board in the second

Swiatek making more errors to start the second set

Swiatek* 6-1, 0-2 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff drops two points on serve and consolidates the break in the second set. She’s off to a cracking start in the second set and the crowd are joining in

Swiatek 6-1, 0-1 *Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff off the blocks quickly in the second set. Swiatek with a backhand into the net and Gauff has two break points. BREAK! Swiatek goes for it all on the forehand and she misses by a good distance. Gauff, surprisingly, and out of nowhere, has the break to start the second set

How good has Swiatek been? This good.

First set: Iga Swiatek 6-1

Iga Swiatek takes just 32 minutes to take the opening set 6-1 over Coco Gauff. She broke the Gauff serve thrice in the first set and is motoring towards a second major title. Gauff dropping her first set of the fortnight

Swiatek* 6-1 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff looking to prolong this set. The errors continue to pile up and the short ball allows Swiatek to rack up winners. A backhand winner into the corner brings up two set points. One saved! Gauff finds her forehand – plays aggressively, hits the ball big and slaps a forehand winner. But the second set point is converted! Swiatek with a cross court return on the serve and Gauff’s running backhand goes wide. First set Swiatek 6-1 in 32 minutes

Swiatek 5-1 *Gauff (* denotes next server)

Swiatek making couple of errors now. She had alluded to feeling the nerves too despite having been to this stage before. But she handles the nerves very well to rock from 15-30 to 40-30 with a booming forehand winner behind Gauff. And hold! Swiatek with a banger of a forehand! She finds the absolute corner of the court. Precisely on the baseline and edge of the baseline and she has her fist clenched after going 5-1 up

Billie Jean King, Ana Ivanovic, Bastian Schweinsteiger in attendance on Court Philippe Chatrier

Swiatek* 4-1 Gauff (* denotes next server)

From 30-0 up, Gauff is brought back to 30-30 after a forehand into the net and a double fault. But she keeps fighting and Swiatek errs. On game point, she overcooks a forehand and it goes well long. At deuce, Gauff with a backhand winner down the line and she lets out a ‘C’mon’. Holds! Swiatek return of serve goes long and Gauff is on the board

Swiatek 4-0 *Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff getting one forehand winner in that game. But the trouble is with the rising errors as well. Swiatek dropping a point to hold serve and she’s 4-0 up after 20 minutes

Swiatek has been inch perfect at the start

Swiatek* 3-0 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Bang on precision from Swiatek on her groundstrokes already. Finds the baseline and Gauff is rushed into the forehand which goes into the net. And now a backhand winner past Gauff to make it 15-40 and bring up two break points. Swiatek looks to attack the serve but overcooks it. Excellent serve! 168kmph serve down the T and the return goes long. Gauff with the forehand miss this time. On break point, Gauff sends the ball right at Swiatek, who is at the net, and the volley goes long. That wasn’t the most comfortable looking volleys. Swiatek rushes into the Gauff second serve and the American has game point. Not taken. Another miss on the Gauff forehand and the ball goes long. The clock ticking past the five minute mark in this game. Gauff looks to find the sideline on the forehand but misses. 9 unforced errors by Gauff now. Saved again! Swiatek slightly hesitant to attack the short ball and Gauff seizes the space with a backhand winner to bring the game back to deuce. Iga creates another break point after Gauff looks to play a forehand cross court on the run but the angle isn’t right. Not right on the break point either. Swiatek prolonging the point and inviting mistakes from Gauff who obliges by sending the forehand into the tramlines. DOUBLE BREAK!

Swiatek 2-0 *Gauff (* denotes next server)

Gauff getting some of her momentum now in the second game. Dispatches two backhand winners but Swiatek holds after an ace and a forehand winner into the open court.

Swiatek* 1-0 Gauff (* denotes next server)

Not the brightest starts from Gauff. Very nervous and is broken in the very first game. A double fault in the game and she hands the BREAK with a groundstroke going long.

Players take court

Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are on court for the women’s final. Gauff winning the coin toss and opting to serve (???? SonyLiv)

Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in all its glory!

Preview

Iga Swiatek is the overwhelming favourite to lift the title. But Coco Gauff is not going to make it easy as she looks to keep the run of first-time Roland Garros champions going [Read more]

Five minutes to schedule start of the women’s final.

Record-breaker Coco Gauff

Gauff is youngest woman to play a Grand Slam final since Sharapova at 2004 Wimbledon

Gauff is yet to drop a set this fortnight, breaking serve a total of 35 times in six matches

Gauff is contesting her maiden final at one of the majors, with her best previous result at this level a quarter-final run at Roland-Garros in 2021

Gauff is the third-youngest finalist at a major since 2000, behind only 2004 Wimbledon champion Sharapova and 2001 Roland-Garros runner-up Clijsters

Gauff is attempting to become the fifth-youngest champion in Paris in the Open Era, older only than Seles (1990-91), Sánchez-Vicario (1989) and Graf (1987)

Gauff will rise to a new career-high position of No.13 by finishing runner-up and break into the Top 10 at No.8 by lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen

What’s at stake for Iga Swiatek

Swiatek is attempting to become only the fifth No.1 seed in the past 25 years to triumph in Paris.

End of a streak? These six wins have extended Swiatek’s current unbeaten streak to 34 matches. Only eight players have achieved streaks this long (Navratilova, Graf, Court, Evert, Hingis, Seles, V.Williams and S.Williams) and it is the fifth-best since the start of 1990

Swiatek and Gauff’s road to the final

Pre-match talk: Iga Swiatek

“I’m just trying to treat these matches as any other matches because it is stressful and I accept that,” she said. “But I want to keep doing the same work.

“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.

“Just kind of treating it as any other match and remembering why I got here and what my strengths are is really helping me. So I think it’s all about the mindset and the preparation I have before the match.”