Surprise finalist has the repertoire to trouble the two-times champion looking to cement her status as world’s best
Shortly after Aryna Sabalenka’s hopes of a duel between the top two in the French Open final had crumbled to dust, Iga Swiatek, the top seed, also found herself in a potentially precarious position on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Swiatek’s first-set lead did little to stop Beatriz Haddad Maia from carrying herself as if she had zero doubts in her ability to win. Throughout the second set, Haddad Maia threw the kitchen sink at her, whipping up heavy topspin forehands, crushing returns, sweeping into the net to finish points. The Brazilian, 27, forced a tiebreak and then she reached set point.
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