Iga Swiatek's reign at Roland Garros ends as conqueror Aryna Sabalenka storms into maiden French Open final

Aryna Sabalenka reached her maiden final at the French Open

Iga Swiatek's reign at Roland Garros came to a stunning end on Thursday. The three-time defending champion was gunning for a fourth straight title on the Parisian clay—a feat no woman has achieved in the Open Era in the last 50 years—which could have cemented her status as the ‘Queen of Clay’. But it wasn't meant to be. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated the Pole 7-6, 4-6, 6-0 in the women’s singles semifinal on Court Philippe-Chatrier to reach her maiden French Open final.

Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during her semi final match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka (REUTERS)

Swiatek was on a 26-match winning streak, having never lost a French Open match since winning her second title in Paris in 2022. But Sabalenka's power was too much for the 24-year-old to handle, as her Roland Garros win-loss record now sits at 40-3.

Under a closed roof and gloomy Paris skies, Sabalenka drew first blood in the opening set, racing to a 3-0 lead with a double break. Swiatek fought back valiantly to force a tie-break, but the Belarusian responded with overwhelming serves and powerful returns, sealing the hard-fought set in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The second set began with three consecutive service breaks, before Swiatek gained the upper hand and held on to force a decider. But any hopes of a comeback were extinguished as Sabalenka showed no mercy in the final set, unleashing ferocious flat forehands to complete a stunning win.

"Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet. I'm just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere," Sabalenka said.

"She's the toughest opponent, especially on clay, especially at Roland Garros. It was a tough match it was a tricky match but I managed."

The top seed will play either France's wild card Lois Boisson or second seed Coco Gauff in Saturday's showcase match where Sabalenka will have a chance to win her fourth major title — and first away from hard courts, after two at the Australian Open and one at the U.S. Open.