French Open: Iga Swiatek focused for maiden Grand Slam final against Sofia Kenin

The 19-year-old goes into the championship decider having not dropped a set

By Emma Thurston

Image: Iga Swiatek has enjoyed an exceptional run to the final

Iga Swiatek, the 19-year-old first-time Grand Slam finalist, has the chance to complete an emphatic campaign in Paris and secure a maiden title on Saturday.

The teenager, who took to tennis in a bid to beat her older sibling at the sport, will face-off against 21-year-old Sofia Kenin in the championship decider.

Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova and Marketa Vondrousova are just a few of the individuals who have felt the wrath of the two young players and their contest has all of the right ingredients to light Court Phillipe-Chatrier.

Swiatek, the world No 54, is the lesser known of the two however her approach to tennis is a noteworthy one.

She has only just completed her education, having studied throughout her teenage years, and has decided to treat the next two seasons like 'gap years' to see how it goes!

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Needless to say, the ability to give tennis her full attention has already paid dividends for Swiatek.

Mats Wilander has already likened her to Novak Djokovic and Billie Jean King has taken to social media to praise her work. She has not lost a set so far and has conceded just 23 games over the course of her six matches.

Also See:

The road to the 2020 French Open final

Iga Swiatek Sofia Kenin
First Round Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 6-2 Ludmilla Samsonova 6-3 3-6 6-3
Second Round Hsieh Su-Wei 6-1 6-4 Ana Bogdan 3-6 6-3 6-2
Third Round Eugenie Bouchard 6-3 6-2 Irina Bara 6-2 6-0
Fourth Round Simona Halep 6-1 6-2 Fiona Ferro 2-6 6-2 6-1
Quarter-finals Martina Trevisan 6-3 6-1 Danielle Collins 6-4 4-6 6-0
Semi-finals Nadia Podoroska 6-2 6-1 Petra Kvitova 6-4 7-5

Swiatek is not immune to the enormity of her run but travels with a sports psychologist, and has shared what that brings to her game.

"I always wanted to work with a psychologist because I had this belief that it's like a big part of the game," she said on Roland Garros' website.

"I feel like I've been so efficient and so focused for whole matches that I put a lot of pressure on my opponents. I'm not even nervous in second sets because I know it's going to probably go my way."

It's going to be different in a final because I'm going to play a much more experienced player. I will need to be on a different level, the higher level, even though I'm winning easily right now.
Iga Swiatek

Once again, her assessment of the final highlights her maturity. She knows that it will bring new emotions and feelings and the question is whether or not she can handle them.

Since the opening round, all of Swiatek's opponents have presented different challenges and she's risen to every one of them. After such an impressive run, self-combusting at the final hurdle would be a great shame, but it's all easier said than done.

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When it comes to Grand Slam finals, then the world has already seen Kenin attack one this year. Back in January, she faced Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open and secured victory after losing the first set.

The 4-6 6-2 6-2 result showcased her ability to turn things around on a sixpence and indicates, that despite suffering from intense nerves ahead of the match, she can handle the greatest of stages.

I feel like after Australia people started to know me. I felt a little bit more pressure from the outside. Keeping this level and playing some great tennis now, is really special.
Sofia Kenin

Kenin, like her final opponent, has an excellent tennis brain and one that defies her 21 years. Four of her six victories in Paris have gone the distance, which is further proof that she knows how to figure out matches.

When she met Swiatek on a Parisian court four years ago in the junior event, it didn't go her way but Kenin knows that she will be facing a much-changed athlete now.

"Of course, were both different players now. I have to figure out what she does. She's had a great two weeks here. She's had some great results, playing some really good tennis."

Image: Kenin has shown amazing mental fortitude to reach Saturday's final

The figuring out process will have occurred alongside her father and coach, Alexander, and their strategy will be supported by Kenin's great self-belief and mental toughness.

Her levels of belief were present from a young age, she once declared in a television interview aged seven that she wanted to be No 1 in the world, and her determination means that she responds when the heat is on.

Angles, touch and power will be present on both sides of the court on Saturday and as long as both women handle the occasion as they did their semi-finals, the stage is set for a high-class championship decider.

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