Thursday was semi-finals day at the 2022 French Open. They weren’t the most captivating of semi-finals but it’s the final that I was hoping for. The number one seed, Iga Swiatek will take on the number 18 seed, Coco Gauff in Saturday’s final. Random segway – I need some pictures of both players!!! Hopefully a few chances on the grass. Read on for my review of both semi-finals…
SF Notes 🎾
Iga Swiatek d. Daria Kasatkina, 6-2 6-1
34 and counting. And #34 was pretty emphatic! I was pleased that Kasatkina managed to get on the board quite early and the pair were tied at 2-2 after an early exchange of breaks. From there on though, Swiatek settled in. Nothing new. Looking to open up the court and dictate with the forehand, which has become of the most menacing shots in women’s tennis. It felt like Kasatkina was a bit stuck with her tactics and resorted to overforcing which produced a lot more unforced errors than usual. Too many mid-court balls from Dasha and the second serve was a sitting duck which Swiatek exploited in ruthless fashion.
It was always going to be a very tough ask for Dasha. A tough ask for anyone. It’s been a super run to the semis. Iga had all the pressure, all eyes on her and she just keeps on delivering. On Saturday, she’ll go for win #35 in her second Slam final. I don’t think it will sink in until Swiatek does actually lose a match what she has managed to achieved on this run. It’s unprecedented since I started watching tennis.
Coco Gauff d. Martina Trevisan, 6-3 6-1
So. Much. Tension. Yeah, this wasn’t a good match. And that’s completely understandable because this was the biggest match of both players’ career. I think Gauff was more rattled at the start. She questioned line calls and Trevisan’s extended grunt with the umpire. From 3-3 in the first set, Gauff settled down and ultimately kept the ball in play a bit more than Trevisan did! Trevisan was very erratic. The forehand has been her weapon all tournament but it was leaking errors.
There were some signs that Trevisan was starting to play better in the second set but she just couldn’t string the good points together with a double fault or a forehand error quickly stunting any momentum. The writing was on the wall after Gauff secured the first break of the second set at 2-1 in a seven deuce game. Gauff was in full flight for those last few games and closed out the match in convincing fashion. I think that was important to end on such a high heading into Saturday’s final. It’s easy to overlook Gauff’s achievement because it has felt like she has been around for so long but 18. 18 years old! Via the WTA, the youngest Slam finalist since Maria Sharapova in 2004.
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Best point 👏
Point of the day.
Super snap 📸
Love this shot of Coco.
Recommended reading 📚
Anyone planning a trip to the US Open this year? This is a must read from Steph.
Final preview 🤔
Swiatek has won 34 consecutive matches. Swiatek has won her last eight finals, all in straights, and she hasn’t dropped more than four games in any of those sets. Swiatek leads Gauff, 2-0 in their H2H. Swiatek has experience of a French Open final. Yeah, i’m going for Iga. Hoping for a competitive final!!!
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