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'Told me not to cry': Iga Swiatek's shock act after historic moment

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·4-min read
Tennis World No.1 Iga Swiatek (pictured left) emotional after winning the Italian Open and (pictured right) collapsing to the ground.
20-year-old tennis phenom Iga Swiatek (pictured left) broke down in emotional scenes after her Italian Open victory in Rome. (Getty Images)

World No.1 Iga Swiatek broke down in emotional scenes after winning the Italian Open to continue her mercurial form ahead of Roland Garros.

The 20-year-old World No.1 extended her remarkable streak to 28 victories in a row, which includes triumphing in the last five tournaments, after she defeated Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 at the final in Rome.

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Swiatek has now won 42 of her last 43 sets and has cemented her spot as the clear WTA World No.1 in 2022.

Swiatek admitted she went into the Italian Open final with some nerves against the in-form Jabeur.

However, the Pole got off to a blistering start

Swiatek outmanoeuvred Jabeur to snap the Tunisian's 11-match winning streak, which began in her title run in Madrid, to level their head-to-head record at 2-2 after having lost both 2021 meetings at Wimbledon and Cincinnati.

In the pair's first meeting on clay, Swiatek was barely troubled by World No.7 Jabeur in the opening stages and the second set was similar.

Swiatek admitted after the final she was feeling a lot of emotions leading up to the final.

Champion Iga Swiatek (pictured left) and runner-up Ons Jabeur (pictured right) smile for a photo with trophies at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia.
Champion Iga Swiatek (pictured left) and runner-up Ons Jabeur (pictured right) pose with their trophies after the Internazionali BNL D'Italia. (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images) (Robert Prange via Getty Images)

"Today I'm going to celebrate with a lot of tiramisu, no regrets," Swiatek said with a smile, after breaking down.

"I just felt huge relief... I was just really happy that I could cope with all the pressure and expectations so well.

"I have emotional reactions, but this one was probably the most emotional after winning the title.

"I mean, why not? It's a week of tension and stress. Finally letting go (after that), for me that's okay."

Iga Swiatek's opponents classy act after final

Following the match, Swiatek admitted Jabeur told her 'not to cry' after the victory after a lovely embrace at the net.

"She told me not to cry. I told her, 'But your dropshots killed me,'" Swiatek said.

"Ons is really nice. She's giving that positive vibe on tour, so that's cool.”

The tennis world was quick to praise Swiatek for her insane achievement.

"Iga, mentally she was really good. She was always aggressive," Jabeur said.

"No matter what the score is, always going forward, putting pressure on the other player. That I think is very important.

"Iga is the number one for a reason. She's really the leader here on tour. I personally have a lot to learn from her. Hopefully we'll have another match soon."

Swiatek admitted she was looking forward to some rest before seeking her second Roland Garros title.

with AAP

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