French Open: Iga Swiatek 'has a target on her back' says Alize Lim after Pole reaches final at Roland-Garros
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Published 08/06/2023 at 20:56 GMT
It's back-to-back finals at the French Open for Iga Swiatek, but it didn't come without a fight against Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Pole's celebrations after her victory pointed to how she had needed to dig deep, but Eurosport's Alize Lim and Mats Wilander reckoned it could stand her in good stead for Saturday's final against Karolina Muchova, who stunned Aryna Sabalenka.
'In the end, Iga is just too good' - Swiatek reaching final impresses Wilander and Lim
Iga Swiatek being pushed will help her, says Alize Lim after the Pole battled past Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach the French Open final.
Swiatek had a relatively comfortable passage to the last four of Roland-Garros, but was given a proper test by the Brazilian, who could so easily have taken the match into a third set.
In the end the world No. 1 emerged victorious, and will now take on Karolina Muchova in Saturday's showpiece in Paris, after the Czech mounted a miraculous comeback to beat Aryna Sabalenka.
"She has a target on her back," Lim said, as she reflected on how Swiatek's No. 1 status makes her the player everyone wants to beat.
"She [Haddad Maia] was fighting really hard and pushing Iga, and it’s nice to see Iga pushed, and I’m sure it’s going to help her."
Looking ahead to Saturday's final, Lim added: "She [Swiatek] is most definitely the favourite. You need two players to produce [that quality]. It’s different, and it’ll match up differently.
"She’s the favourite, she won here last year, knowing how to handle the moments. Let’s see."
Mats Wilander, courtside in Paris with Lim, thought the encounter was a "wake-up call" for Swiatek.
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'What an opening game!' - Haddad Maia breaks Swiatek to love to begin semi-final
He said: "I think Haddad Maia played a great match; I didn’t think she’d be that close at any time, but she played smartly, using her leftiness, but Iga is just too good.
"I thought being left-handed might not help Maia against someone like Iga with such a good two-handed backhand, but she played a great match; in it emotionally, forcing Iga to come up with great shots, rushing her.
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'What a match!' - Swiatek beats Haddad Maia to reach final at Roland-Garros
"I did not see this being that close, but it goes to show how many great women players there are out there, the depth is unbelievable.
"She is strong, like Ons Jabeur called her. She’s a beast, and when you watch her closely, she’s physically and mentally strong and brilliant.
"She’s being pushed by these ladies who are hitting extremely hard, and Iga feels a bit of pressure that she didn’t have a couple of years ago. ‘Oh, they’re coming after me and hitting hard, I need to be aggressive myself.’ On a clay court, she can still do it.
"A good match - a wake-up call - for Iga before the final."
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