Naomi Osaka had Iga Swiatek on the ropes, but the world No. 1 refused to go down.
After trailing 4-1, 5-2 and facing a match point down 5-3 in the third set, Swiatek stormed back to defeat Osaka Wednesday in the second round of the 2024 French Open, 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5.
“For sure, this match was really intense. Much more intense for the second round than I ever expected. For sure, I’ll be more ready next time,” Swiatek said. “Naomi played amazing tennis. … I’m happy that she’s back and she’s playing well.”
Osaka, a four-time grand slam winner, was playing her best match since returning to tennis five months ago following the birth of daughter Shai in July.
After the 26-year-old Osaka, currently ranked No. 134 in the world, lost decisively in a first-set tiebreak, she cruised to a second-set win before squandering her upset chance in the third.
Swiatek, 22, has not lost at Roland Garros since the 2021 quarterfinals after winning the tournament each of the past two years; she also won the tournament in 2020.
Osaka, a two-time U.S. Open champion, last won a major at the 2021 Australian Open, her second victory at that tournament.
Osaka returned to action at the 2024 Brisbane International to start the year and then lost in straight sets to Caroline Garcia in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open.
She most recently reached the fourth round of the Italian Open earlier this month, falling to Qinwen Zheng after beating Marta Kostyuk and Daria Kasatkina in the second and third rounds, respectively.