Swiatek Swats Aside Raducanu To Stay On Track For Paris History

Just a couple of weeks after stressing the importance of playing against the best players in the world more frequently in order to improve her own game, Emma Raducanu walked out onto Court Philippe-Chatrier yesterday afternoon facing the toughest challenge in her sport.

- Tumaini Carayol

The task of playing Iga Swiatek at the French Open, her fortress, was unsurprisingly too much for Raducanu and in the second successive grand slam tournament she was dismantled by her opponent, the fifth seed, who eased into the third round at Roland Garros with a 6-1, 6-2 win.

As she chases one of the greatest achievements in the open era of women's tennis – an unprecedented fourth successive title at Roland Garros – Swiatek's astounding record at the tournament now stands 37-2 (95%): 33 of those wins have been effortlessly earned in straight sets. After demolishing Raducanu 6-0, 6-1 in the third round of the Australian Open in January, Swiatek now holds a 5-0 record against the Briton.

Before the match, during an interview with Tim Henman for TNT Sports, Raducanu's ad hoc coach Mark Petchey was asked what his charge would have to do well in order to defeat Swiatek. His answer was immediate and blunt: "Everything."