WTA French Open – Emma Raducanu vs Iga Swiatek

WTA French Open – Emma Raducanu vs Iga Swiatek

🧠 Form & Context

Iga Swiatek
🏆 Queen of Clay: 36–2 career record at Roland-Garros, four titles in five years — unmatched dominance.
💡 Rebuilding Confidence: While she hasn’t reached a final in 12 months, she’s a seven-time quarterfinalist or better in 2025 and remains the player to beat on clay.
🧱 First Round Solid: Defeated Rebecca Sramkova 6-3, 6-3 with minimal fuss, absorbing pressure and hitting her stride late in both sets.
🔥 Perfect Record vs Raducanu: Hasn’t dropped a set in four meetings, including a brutal 6-0, 6-1 win at this year’s Australian Open.

Emma Raducanu
💪 Battled Illness: Survived a near 3-hour first-round battle against Wang Xinyu while clearly unwell, calling the trainer mid-match.
📈 Building Form: Quarterfinal in Miami and fourth round in Rome show signs of resurgence after a prolonged slump.
😓 Unlucky Draw: Playing the best clay-courter in history this early in the tournament is a tough ask — especially after a draining opener.
🏖️ Inexperience on Clay: Only her second main draw appearance in Paris, with little to show historically on the surface.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a mismatch on paper, on clay, and in historical precedent. Iga Swiatek holds all the cards — surface mastery, fitness, confidence, and a 4-0 H2H domination. She’s ruthless against players who can’t outhit or outlast her, and Raducanu hasn’t shown the physical or tactical durability needed to challenge her on this surface.

Raducanu’s best hope? Take the ball early, disrupt Swiatek’s rhythm, and perhaps benefit from a rare lapse in focus from the Pole. But given her own struggles and the lingering effects of illness, this feels far-fetched in a best-of-three scenario.

🔮 Prediction

Prediction: Swiatek in 2 sets – Likely under 18 total games. One-way traffic after an initial push.