By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS (Reuters) -Defending champion Iga Swiatek is gunning for a fifth French Open title and fourth in succession but the Pole said Sunday’s comeback win over Elena Rybakina was a much-needed reminder of her claycourt prowess in a lacklustre season.
The fifth seed looked in deep trouble, trailing by a set and two games on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but completed a 1-6 6-3 7-5 win and later admitted that playing the big-hitting Kazakh was like facing men’s world number one Jannik Sinner at times.
The 24-year-old, who failed to win a title on clay in the build-up to Roland Garros after enduring some difficult moments following a short doping ban last season, celebrated the win in an effervescent manner unusual for her.
“It means a lot. I needed this kind of win to feel these feelings that I’m able to win under pressure, and even if it’s not going the right way, still turn the match around to win,” Swiatek told reporters.
“It’s a great confirmation for me. Obviously it’s great to also have full control over the match but against great players, it’s not always going to be possible. I’m happy that I fought, and I also problem-solved on court.”
Victory extended Swiatek’s superb winning streak at Roland Garros to 25 matches but also marked her first against Rybakina on clay and improved her head-to-head record to 5-4.
“I wasn’t expecting to have an easy score against Elena,” Swiatek said, before pointing to past losses to Rybakina.
“That wasn’t something that I even considered today. No matter what the score is, I’m going to just try to play the best tennis possible any minute.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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