On a balmy Parisian evening at the 2025 French Open, Emma Raducanu, Britain’s former US Open champion, is preparing for a colossal second-round clash against four-time Roland Garros titlist Iga Swiatek. The 22-year-old, ranked No. 41, battled through illness and a grueling three-setter against China’s Wang Xinyu to earn her spot in this high-stakes encounter. Despite a lopsided history against the Polish world No. 5, Raducanu is brimming with optimism, declaring she’s ready to be “much more competitive” this time around. Her journey to this moment, marked by resilience and a refined game, sets the stage for a thrilling test on the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Raducanu’s first-round match was a testament to her fighting spirit. Facing Wang, ranked No. 43, she struggled with illness from the morning, feeling “really sick” and flat, yet powered through to a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory in nearly three hours. A medical timeout at 6-5 in the first set, where she applied ice to her face and had her vitals checked, raised concerns among British fans. But Raducanu, ever the competitor, returned with a searing forehand winner to clinch the set. “I’m actually really proud of today’s match, more so than a lot of the matches that I played recently,” she said post-match. “I felt bad from the morning. I was just trying and fighting through that.” Her nine breaks of Wang’s serve, particularly in the decisive third set, showcased her aggressive return game and growing comfort on clay.
Now, Raducanu faces Swiatek, a clay-court colossus who began her title defense with a 6-3, 6-3 dismantling of Rebecca Sramkova. The 23-year-old Pole, who boasts a 22-match winning streak at Roland Garros, has dominated Raducanu in their four previous meetings, including a 6-1, 6-0 rout at the Australian Open in January. Yet, Raducanu sees this as an opportunity to measure her progress. “I think in the last months I’ve made good strides with my game and my mentality as well, big time,” she said. “It’s great, I get another crack at the best in the world. I’m looking forward to playing on a big court.” Her plan? To swing freely and avoid being passive. “I know if I just push the ball, I’m probably going to get eaten,” she admitted. “I need to, like, hit the ball.”
Swiatek, for her part, is not underestimating her opponent. “She’s a great player and has a great forehand. She can use her topspin pretty well,” she noted after her first-round win. “We know each other’s game. For sure, I’ll need to be intense and focus on myself. She won the US Open. She can play great tennis.” The Pole’s preparation is tactical, treating the clay of Roland Garros as a distinct challenge from their hard-court clashes. “Melbourne and Roland Garros [are] totally different surfaces, different stories,” she said, dismissing their Australian Open encounter as irrelevant.
Raducanu’s confidence stems from a resurgent 2025 clay season. After missing Roland Garros for three years, she’s notched three top-10 wins in the past 12 months and reached the Madrid Open quarterfinals, where she fell to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Her forehand, once a weaker shot, has become a weapon, complementing her trusty backhand. Against Wang, she struck multiple forehand winners, a sign of her evolving offensive game. Yet, Swiatek’s athleticism and heavy topspin remain daunting. “Her athleticism. She slides and defends really well off the backhand corner and counter-punches that side really strongly,” Raducanu observed, pinpointing the challenge ahead.
The matchup carries extra intrigue given their shared history as teenage Grand Slam champions—Swiatek at Roland Garros in 2020, Raducanu at the US Open in 2021. While Swiatek has since amassed five majors, Raducanu’s path has been hampered by injuries, including recent back spasms that disrupted her Australian Open buildup. Her 13-10 record this season reflects steady progress, but she’s yet to win a set against Swiatek, with their closest battles coming on clay in Stuttgart (2022 and 2024). “She’s obviously had a lot more experience, a lot more time playing tennis and competing than I have,” Raducanu acknowledged, citing her 2020 hiatus for school exams while Swiatek was winning her first French Open.
As British tennis celebrates a strong start in Paris— with Jacob Fearnley and Katie Boulter also advancing—Raducanu’s clash with Swiatek is a chance to prove she’s closing the gap on the elite. “It’s a match for me where I can really test and challenge myself,” she said, embracing the pressure of facing a champion on her favorite surface. With a nothing-to-lose mindset and a bolstered game, Raducanu is ready to swing for the fences, hoping to turn inspiration from her former junior rival into a competitive showdown under the Parisian lights.
# Emma Raducanu Gears Up for Iga Swiatek Showdown at Roland Garros with Renewed Confidence
## First-Round Resilience
Emma Raducanu, ranked No. 41, overcame illness and a tough Wang Xinyu to win 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in her Roland Garros opener on May 26, 2025. Despite a medical timeout, she broke Wang nine times, showcasing her aggressive return game. “I’m actually really proud of today’s match,” she said. “I felt bad from the morning. I was just trying and fighting through that.”
## Facing the Favorite
Raducanu now meets No. 5 seed Iga Swiatek, who defeated Rebecca Sramkova 6-3, 6-3. Swiatek leads their head-to-head 4-0, including a 6-1, 6-0 Australian Open rout. “She’s a great player and has a great forehand,” Swiatek said. “I’ll need to be intense and focus on myself.” Raducanu, undaunted, plans to swing freely: “I know if I just push the ball, I’m probably going to get eaten.”
## Raducanu’s Progress
With three top-10 wins in 2025 and a stronger forehand, Raducanu is confident. “I think in the last months I’ve made good strides with my game and my mentality,” she said. She sees the match as a test: “It’s great, I get another crack at the best in the world.” Swiatek’s clay dominance—22 straight Roland Garros wins—looms large, but Raducanu’s nothing-to-lose mindset could spark an upset.
## The Bigger Picture
Both former teenage Grand Slam champions, Swiatek and Raducanu share a history but divergent paths. Raducanu, slowed by injuries, is catching up: “She’s obviously had a lot more experience,” she noted. As Britain celebrates wins from Jacob Fearnley and Katie Boulter, Raducanu’s clash on May 28 promises high drama on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
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