Swiatek not yet 'Queen of Clay' but romps into second round with big win over Jeanjean

Iga Swiatek got her 2024 French Open campaign off to a solid start as she romped past Leolia Jeanjean in straight sets.

Swiatek came into the tournament in excellent for. After disappointment in the Australian Open, she went on to win the Italian Open and Madrid Open – both against Aryna Sabalenka – as well as the tournaments in Indian Wells and Qatar.

The 22-year-old is the current world No. 1 and a win at Roland-Garros would go some way to cement her position at the top of the women’s game as she holds off challenges from Coco Gauff and Sabalenka.

By contrast, Leolia Jeanjean has been preparing for her involvement in her home country’s Grand Slam events with appearances at ITF France and Croatia, and was the clear underdog, though she could point to a 2022 third-round exit as sign of her ability.

Jeanjean was broken in the first game but she kept the deficit at one with her follow-up effort on service.

Swiatek’s near-faultless shot selection moved her 5-1 ahead and meant the home favourite had to serve to stay in the set, and she could not withstand the pressure as she fell behind quickly with little sign of a possible comeback.

Jeanjean showed her mettle at the opening of the second set as she broke her opponent, and then had the chance to go two-up only for Swiatek to take it to deuce in an attempt to break back.

Swiatek earned break point as she raced to the net to swat the ball away from the French player, and after clipping the net with her first serve, she failed to hold on.

Jeanjean showed renewed focus as she kept things level at 2-2 as she withstood Swiatek’s early shot-taking.

Swiatek upped the pressure on Jeanjean’s service game but a drop shot followed by an accurate feint across the court was not enough to stop the Polish player going 4-2 up as she closed in on victory.

Swiatek held her serve to leave Jeanjean serving to stay in the match, and she quickly moved 40-0 with her suffocating returns, before a fierce blow down the line gave Swiatek her 15th consecutive victory at Roland-Garros.

Speaking on court after her win, she said: “Thank you guys for coming, it feels like home here so I’m really happy to be back, and feel like I can play really good tennis. Hopefully I’m going to be here as long as possible.

“This last tournament gave me a lot, and I managed to play good tennis in any conditions, so I’m really proud of myself. Even though I’m pretty confident, I’m not taking anything for granted. Every tournament is a different story and chapter, so I’m trying to focus on the next round and do everything step by step.”

She was asked if she could now be called the “Queen of Clay,” a comparison to Rafael Nadal, and she was quick to play down such an idea.

“I think it’s too early, for sure I’m really proud of these achievements, this has always been my favourite surface.

“For sure I’ll be watching Rafa’s match. Comparing him to me, I’m not at that level, I still have many things to prove.”

Next for the Polish world No. 1 is a mouthwatering clash against Naomi Osaka, after the Japanese beat Lucia Bronzetti on Day 1.