Iga Swiatek 'overwhelmed' after winning French Open to become Poland's first Grand Slam champion

World No 53 defeats American fourth seed Kenin 6-4, 6-1 in the final

Poland's Iga Swiatek holds the trophy after winning the final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Sofia Kenin of the U.S. in two sets 6-4, 6-1, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The National
Oct 10, 2020
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Iga Swiatek was left "overwhelmed" after becoming the first Polish player to win a Grand Slam singles title after her 6-4, 6-1 victory over American fourth seed Sofia Kenin in the French Open final on Saturday.

The unseeded 19-year-old, who did not drop a set throughout the claycourt tournament in Paris, is the youngest winner since Monica Seles lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 1992.

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"I'm so happy. I'm so happy my family was here finally. It was overwhelming for me," said world No 54 Swiatek, who is the lowest-ranked player to win the women's title at Roland Garros since WTA rankings were introduced in 1975.

"Two years ago I won a junior Grand Slam and now I'm here. It feels like such a short time. I'm just overwhelmed,” she added as Kenin watched from her chair in tears.

Swiatek raced into a 3-0 lead for the loss of just three points before 21-year-old Kenin got into her groove, only for the Pole to bag the opening set on her opponent's serve after another trade of breaks.

Kenin, who was aiming for a second major title after winning this year's Australian Open, received an off-court medical treatment on her left thigh after the third game of the second set.

It all proved too much to handle for the American, who won only three points after coming back on court as Swiatek swept to the title.

"I just want to congratulate Iga on a great tournament and a great match," Kenin said in her post-match speech. "You played really well. Congrats to you and your team."

Swiatek is the first player not to drop a set en route to the Roland Garros women's title since Belgium's Justine Henin in 2007.

"I want to thank everyone who made this tournament possible in these times. I'm happy that we can still do our job and entertain people," Swiatek said.

"It's crazy for me because I watched [12-time male champion] Rafael Nadal lift the trophy every year and now I'm in the same place.

"I want to thank everyone watching in Poland. I know it's pretty crazy back home."

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