French Open 2022 – Can anybody problem Iga Swiatek?

Iga Swiatek got here into the French Open as the favourite — and thus far, she has appeared dominant. Whereas Saturday’s match over Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic didn’t go completely, Swiatek nonetheless simply superior to the fourth spherical with a 6-3, 7-5 victory to win her 31st match in a row.

And whereas Swiatek possible did not want any assist, she has gotten it: She is the one top-10 participant left within the draw. With the early exits of defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and former champs Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep, in addition to top-10 gamers Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari, lots of those that might need made it more durable for her are already out.

Of the gamers remaining, who might doubtlessly give Swiatek the largest problem?

Our specialists gave their picks.

---

Pam Shriver: Swiatek’s greatest hazard is to lose earlier than the finals to an opponent she will not be conversant in, who can play first strike tennis nicely from first level to final. Chinese language star Zheng Qinwen, who beat former Roland Garros champion Halep within the second spherical, has the facility and momentum to tug off the large upset. Zheng has by no means performed Swiatek, due to this fact there isn’t a scar tissue. The locker room would have observed Swiatek’s erratic play within the second set versus Kovinic. Whereas Swiatek is the overwhelming favourite to win her second Roland Garros, we all know in sports activities there may be by no means an automated.

Cliff Drysdale: Leylah Fernandez. She has the fearlessness of youth and a Nadal-like focus. The issue is, it can not occur except they each attain the ultimate.

D’Arcy Maine: I do not see anybody giving Swiatek a lot of a problem in Paris at this level. However tennis is way from proof against the surprising so, you by no means know, proper? After watching how Jil Teichmann rallied to come back again towards Victoria Azarenka in a thriller that lasted nicely over three hours within the third spherical, it feels as if she could be greater than up for any problem. Teichmann is surging on clay, having made a run to the semifinals in Madrid and reaching the quarterfinals in Rome, and has recorded seven top-20 wins this season. Teichmann misplaced her lone profession match towards Swiatek, at Adelaide in 2021, however has made vital progress since and has maybe by no means been enjoying higher.

Invoice Connelly: From the easy perspective of who’s enjoying very well proper now, Anisimova and Coco Gauff are each gamers to observe. Anisimova is 13-Three on clay this yr and swept Naomi Osaka and Donna Vekic earlier than catching a break with the snake-bitten Karolina Muchova‘s harm retirement within the third set on Friday. Gauff, in the meantime, got here to Paris solely 4-Three on clay this yr, however she has performed two top-60 gamers in three matches and has but to drop a set.

Each time a probable contender has emerged, she has shortly succumbed to an upset, so we’ll see if these two younger People can preserve issues going for one more week. (And if they’ll stick with it, we’ll see if they’ll even put a dent in Swiatek’s armor.) However thus far, so good.

Tom Hamilton: Effectively the excellent news for Swiatek is, among the many ridiculously quite a few nice issues about her tennis in the mean time, the final participant who beat her is now now not on the French Open after Jelena Ostapenko‘s exit on Thursday. However she’s so within the zone you can’t think about she fears anyone in world tennis anyway.

If I need to choose somebody then I am going for Amanda Anisimova, who’s enjoying some good tennis right here.

Simon Cambers: It’s so arduous to see her being crushed in any respect. She simply has this unbelievable air about her proper now. She’s beating gamers in the identical method Steffi Graf used to do, brutally. If she is examined, she simply steps up her recreation and wipes the her opponent out. She has improved so many elements of her recreation and her pictures are heavier, to not point out the boldness that each one these wins have given her.

However, perhaps somebody like a Sloane Stephens might give her some issues. Somebody who can take in the stress, who strikes nicely and who can drive Swiatek to overlook and perhaps, because of this, to panic. Or perhaps Fernandez, who was very spectacular towards Belinda Bencic. However it’s a lengthy shot.

Aishwarya Kumar: I’ll go together with Stephens. She is a 2018 French Open finalist. She’s a Grand Slam winner (2017 US Open). She is aware of how one can deal with the large moments, and nicely — particularly when the main focus is not on her. And she or he is an unknown entity for Swiatek, who has by no means confronted her in her profession. Plus, let’s not overlook that Stephens’ finish of the draw is trying increasingly open with seeded gamers like Angelique Kerber, Sakkari and Bencic getting knocked out within the earlier rounds.