Polish teen Iga Swiatek reaches French Open final

The 131st-ranked Podoroska is the lowest-ranked woman to reach the last four at Roland Garros. She broke Swiatek in the fifth game of the second set to trail 4-1 but was broken straight back.

Swiatek will next face either two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in Saturday’s final.

Swiatek became the lowest-ranked women’s finalist at Roland Garros since the WTA computer rankings began in 1975, advancing with her latest lopsided win, this one 6-2, 6-1 against Argentine qualifier Nadia Podoroska on Thursday.

Swiatek has won all 12 sets she’s played in the tournament and dropped merely 23 games through a half-dozen matches so far.

When this 70-minute tour de force ended before a



crowd in the hundreds at Court Philippe Chatrier — there was a daily limit on spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic — Swiatek asked for more noise, waving her arms and cupping a hand to her ear.

In Saturday’s final, Swiatek will face a seeded opponent who already has been a Grand Slam champion: No. 4 Sofia Kenin or No. 7 Petra Kvitova, who were scheduled to play each other later Thursday.

Swiatek vs. Podoroska was the first women’s semifinal at Roland Garros between unseeded opponents since 1983 — and only one, Swiatek, truly seemed ready for the stage.

Podoroska is ranked 131st, had never won a main-draw Grand Slam match until this event and was the first female qualifier in the professional era to get to the final four in Paris.