World number one Iga Swiatek has claimed her third straight French Open Title in a row following her straight sets victory over 12th seed Paolini in the French Open final.
Paolini made her first final appearance in a grand slam event and was brutalized by her opposition who is currently leading as the best player on the planet in the tennis female category.
Swiatek took just 68 minutes to crush her opponent after a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Swiatek has now won all five Grand Slam finals she has contested. Her other victory came at the 2022 US Open.
She is the fourth woman in the Open era to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen four times — after Justine Henin, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf.
“It’s amazing to be here. I love this place. I wait every year to come back,” said Swiatek, who clicked into gear after saving a match point against Naomi Osaka in the second round.
“I was almost out of the tournament,” she said. “I also needed to believe this one is going to be possible, it’s been a really emotional tournament.”
Swiatek becomes only the third woman to win the tournament three years running. Henin, in 2005-07, was the last to do so. Monica Seles also achieved the feat as a teenager at the start of the 1990s.
At 23, her four Roland Garros titles is the same number Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time champion, had at the same age.
For the 28-year-old Paolini it was a sorry conclusion, at least in singles, to an otherwise brilliant fortnight in the French capital.
“I have to say congratulations to you, Iga,” said Paolini. “I think to play you here is the toughest challenge in this sport.”
Paolini’s transformation this season into a player capable of challenging for the biggest prizes stemmed in part from quashing the mindset she needed “a miracle” to beat the best in the sport.
