What an enthralling, draining match. Naomi Osaka produced her best tennis after becoming a mum only 10 months ago. The powerful ball-striking we expect, but her movement on clay was dazzling. For Swiatek, she was not at her best, but she clung on after almost being blown off the court in that second set. A champion’s quality.
One thing of note: lots of empty seats in Paris. Perhaps it was the dinner-ish timing of this match, but that is a real shame. Those diners will be eating their fists when they realise they missed a contest of this quality! Right, that’s enough from me. Thanks for sticking with us during that epic.
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Swiatek, her voice wobbling, is full of praise for Osaka in her on-court interview. “Maybe she’s becoming a clay court specialist,” she says in tribute to her opponent’s excellence today.
She also wants to make a point to the French Open crowd over calling out during play: “When you scream during a rally, it’s really hard to focus … it’s hard to accept that, because the stakes are big. So if you could support us between the rallies but not during. I’m sorry.” She gets applause for that but adds that she hopes it doesn’t cause future crowds in Paris to boo her.
