(CNN) —World No. 1 Iga Świątek has a golden opportunity to win her third consecutive and fourth overall French Open title this Saturday when she faces Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the final.
No woman has won three consecutive titles at Roland Garros since Justine Henin in 2007, but nothing seems to stand in Świątek’s way.
The Polish superstar is currently on an 18-match unbeaten streak in all competitions and has not lost at the French Open for three years. Meanwhile, her rival is experiencing this phase of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The two have met twice before and Świątek won both times. The last victory came at the 2022 US Open.
“We played a long time ago, so I need to prepare tactically and see where his game is now,” Świątek told reporters when asked about the possibility of playing Paolini in the final.
“He’s had his best season, so something must have changed. But we’ll see, because honestly I haven’t seen his games. “I will focus on myself and prepare tactically.”
Although Świątek beat Coco Gauff to reach the final this Thursday, her tournament was almost over in the second round.
The four-time Grand Slam champion faced a match point against Naomi Osaka, but recovered to avoid what would have been her first elimination at Roland Garos.
Świątek has since said that “something changed” in his game from that point on and has not come close to losing a set.
Given his fluidity and dominance on clay, many have compared Świątek’s potential legacy in competition to that of Rafael Nadal.
Iga Świątek is seeking her third consecutive French Open title. Gonzalo Fuentes. (Credit: Reuters)
The Spaniard, nicknamed the ‘King of Clay’, has won a record 14 titles at Roland Garros and Świątek is aware that he has a long way to go before matching his levels.
“We will see in 14 years if the path is similar. I mean, that’s obviously very good for me. “I would never expect anyone to compare me to Rafa because for me he is above everyone and he is a total legend,” he told reporters.
“We’ll see in a couple of years, but I’m proud of myself to be playing consistently here and to be mentioned in the same sentence as Rafa. That’s great.”
Paolini has made history in this year’s competition.
The 12th seed, who made her professional debut in 2011, is the first Italian to reach the final of a Grand Slam since Roberta Vinci at the 2015 US Open, according to Opta.
The 28-year-old defeated 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva 6-3 6-1 to book a place in her first Grand Slam final.
Jasmine Paolini is living the ‘dream’ after reaching her first Grand Slam final. (Credit: Tim Goode/Getty Images)
Dream ending for Paolini
In truth, few would have predicted Paolini’s breakthrough at Roland Garros considering he had never before made it past the round of 16 at a Grand Slam.
“I learned a little later than other players,” she told reporters after beating Andreeva.
“Dreaming is the most important thing in sport and in life. I am happy to be able to be in this dream moment.
“It’s a great feeling to be in a Grand Slam final. It seems impossible.”
Paolini has won six consecutive matches on clay for the first time in his career and is expected to break into the Top 10 after the conclusion of the tournament.
It would be a big surprise if he beat Świątek in the final and Paolini is fully aware of how difficult the task is.
“Every week is a new challenge, so it’s not easy to confirm the result every week,” he told reporters, speaking of his opponent’s consistency.
“Only a few players can do that. It’s incredible what the best players are doing, like Iga [Świątek]Nole [Djokovic]Jannik [Sinner]. “It’s kind of crazy.”
