Swiatek downs Gauff for 35 straight wins and second Roland-Garros title

PARIS (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek beat 18-year-old American Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the French Open women’s final Saturday to collect her second title at Roland Garros and stretch her winning streak to 35 matches.

Swiatek’s unbeaten run equals one by Venus Williams in 2000 as the longest this century.

Swiatek has now won her past six tournaments and is 42-3 this season.

She has emerged as a dominant figure in tennis, with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams out of action for nearly a year and three-time major champ Ash Barty announcing in March she would retire at age 25 and relinquish the No. 1 ranking.

That allowed Swiatek to move up to the top of the WTA and she’s shown she is a deserving resident there. Her last loss came in February to 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Swiatek has a game that works on all surfaces, but her greatest triumphs so far have come on red clay. That includes her 2020 trophy in Paris, which made her the first player from Poland to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Rafael Nadal will face Casper Ruud in the men's final Sunday.

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