PARIS, France — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek won her 33rd match in a row with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 11th-seeded Jessica Pegula to advance to the semifinals of the French Open.
A day after her 21st birthday, Swiatek was not at her dominant best against the 11th-seeded Pegula, a 28-year-old from New York whose parents own the NFL's Buffalo Bills and NHL's Buffalo Sabres.
“Getting old, but still fresh,” Swiatek wrote with a silver marker on the lens of a courtside TV camera.
As usual for most of this season, Swiatek was good enough to end up on the right side of the scoreline. She has not lost a match since February and claimed the title at each of her past five tournaments.
On a sunny afternoon at Court Philippe Chatrier, with the temperature above 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius), Swiatek's start was so-so for the second match in a row, although she did wind up with nearly twice as many winners as Pegula, 30 to 16.
“Today is warmer, so I feel like the ball is flying a little bit faster,” Swiatek said, “so I had to adjust to that, for sure.”
She trailed 3-2 in the opening set, and it was 3-all when she held a break point while Pegula served.
Pegula tried a drop shot, and Swiatek ran to it, reaching out to flip the ball over the net at an impossible angle. Pegula could not get to that response, and the point went to Swiatek, giving her a 4-3 edge.
As Pegula went to the sideline for the ensuing changeover, she looked toward her coach, David Witt, in the stands, perhaps wondering whether Swiatek's shot should have counted.
A TV replay confirmed it should not have: The ball landed a second time on her side of the net before going off her racket, so chair umpire Emmanuel Joseph should have ruled the point belonged to Pegula. But Joseph missed the extra bounce and, unlike at some other tournaments, officials at the French Open can't consult video to make sure they get a call correct.
From there, Swiatek wouldn't drop another game until she led by a set and 1-0 in the second. In all, she took 10 of the last 12 games.
Swiatek gained from what appeared to be a missed call in the seventh game of the first set. She chased down Pegula’s drop shot but it appeared to have bounced twice before she hit her winner to break and take a 4-3 lead.
At one point, Pegula complained to the chair umpire about Swiatek’s alleged delaying tactics between serves.
Swiatek, who won the 2020 French Open, had also beaten the American earlier in her winning streak.
The Polish player has won her past five tournaments, going unbeaten since February for the WTA’s longest such stretch since Serena Williams compiled a 34-match run in 2013.
Swiatek was aggressive throughout the match, compiling 30 winners though she had 28 unforced errors as well. She clinched it on her fourth match point.
The 21-year-old Swiatek will next face Daria Kasatkina of Russia for a spot in the final.
Swiatek rose atop the WTA rankings in March after the woman who was No. 1, Ash Barty, retired at age 25. Rather than being derailed by the sudden switch in status, Swiatek has flourished, going 16-0 since rising from No. 2.
