Polish teenager Iga Swiatek knocks out World No.2 Halep in Paris

Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek: makes history in Roland Garros

Iga Swatiek: knocks out world number two Simona Halep

Unseeded Polish teenager, Iga Swiatek shocked World No.2 Simona Halep at Roland Garros on Sunday, when she beat her 6-1 6-2 in the fourth round.

The unheralded player easily outplayed the Romanian, who is 10 years older.

Swiatek has thus continued her superb run into the quarter finals.

In the 3rd round, she also swept away the much experienced 26 year-old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, in two straight sets.

Swiatek who started playing in WTA competitions in 2019, had won seven ITF singles.

She was beaten in the first round of Wimbledon last year, but made the fourth round of the Australia Open this year.

She also made the third round in the US Open last month.

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Halep came into the fourth round clash on a 17-match unbeaten streak having defeated the 19-year-old Swiatek, ranked 54th in the world, 6-1 6-0 in 45 minutes at the same stage last year.

“I wasn’t experienced at all then. That was my first match in a big stadium,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview, after wiping away tears. “I was pretty stressed.

“Since then I have made huge progress and I have played few big matches … it helped me a lot. And right now I think I can handle the pressure.”

Swiatek later told reporters: “I did everything that my coach told me about tactics. So it was kind of like a perfect match for me.”

Swiatek avenged that morale-sapping defeat and her victory under the closed roof of Court Philippe Chatrier in 68 minutes was no less impressive against the 2018 French Open champion, ranked number two in the world.

“I mean it wasn’t like I was scared because of that, because I lost in 45 minutes last year. It was kind of like motivating for me just to play better,” she said.

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