- Iga Świątek was promoted to the Roland Garros singles final on Thursday, but on Friday she did not repeat this result in a doubles game
- Although in the first set the Polish and American women already had a solid advantage, unfortunately they squandered it
- The next party definitely belonged to Świątek and Melichar, but in decisive time they succumbed to their rivals and had to say goodbye to the party
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Iga Świątek amazes the world at this year’s Roland Garros edition. The 19-year-old reached the final of the singles competition without losing even a set. As if that was not enough, she defeated Simona Halep, who was seeded number 1, and Marka Vondrousova, last year’s finalist.
Świątek is doing no worse in doubles. Together with the American Nicole Melichar, she has not lost a set yet, and on the way eliminated, among others, Czech Kvetka Peschka and Dutch Demi Schuurs, who were seeded with number 6.
The semi-final rivals of Świątek and Melichar were Alexa Guarachi from Chile and Desirae Krawczyk from the United States. The players, seeded with number 14, lost one set, but eliminated Su-wei Hsieh and Barbara Strycova, seeded with “1”.
The match was originally supposed to start after 12 o’clock, but the prolonged first semi-final made Świątek and Melichar go to court two hours later. The players already knew that in the final there were Timea Babos from Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic from France, who defeated Barbara Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 2: 6, 6: 4, 7: 5.
Friday’s game kicked off with a tight fight with both pairs consistently winning games on their passes. Later, however, Świątek and Melichar became seriously heard. The Polish and the American successfully broke their rivals twice and, also serving well, although the games were not easy for them, the result of 5: 2 lit up on the scoreboard. Then the rivals woke up, used the fourth break-point in a row and served to “catch the contact”. Also in this game the game was fierce, Świątek and Melichar played boldly, but at key moments they lacked accuracy. The opponents clearly felt the power and although they defended the set balls in the next two games, they managed to lead to a draw first, and then, smoothly, without losing the ball, won their own pass and put their opponents in a difficult position. Świątek and Melichar got down to work, but they also defended the set ball themselves. Eventually, after a long game, they led to a tie-break.
In it, the scenario was far from the expectations of Polish fans. The first four balls belonged to Guarachi and Krawczyk, and although the Polish woman and the American woman tried to chase, in the end, on the third attempt, the rivals settled the set in their favor.
The lost game was a novelty for our player, because in this year’s tournament she never found herself in such a situation. Together with the doubles partner, however, they showed that their heads are strong. While the game was still tied from the start, after breaking and winning games on their own pass, they found themselves in a good position again, leading 4-1. However, they did not stop there and did not give the opponents the opportunity to catch their breath, quickly ending the set with a result of 6: 1.
Despite a decisive victory in the previous game, the match was not under the full control of Świątek and Melichar. In the third set we watched a real “breakout festival” and after the first consistent wins on our own passes, the next six (!) Games ended in a defeat for the serving side. It was interrupted only by Chilean and American women, but at a dangerous moment, leading to the state of 5: 4. Unfortunately, despite the attempts to fight on the part of Świątek and her partner, the rivals decided the next game and set to their advantage and, consequently, the entire match.
Iga Świątek / Nicole Melichar – Alexa Guarachi / Desirae Krawczyk 6: 7 (5), 6: 1, 4: 6
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