Underdog Iga Swiatek wins surprise French Open title

19-year-old Iga Swiatek introduced herself to world tennis on Saturday evening at Roland Garros. Coming into the final match as an underdog, the Polish teenager shocked the tennis community by becoming the youngest player to win the women's singles French Open title since Monica Seles in 1992.

Being at world number 54, Swiatek is the lowest-ranked player to ever win the French Open title. Her opponent, fourth seed Sofia Kenin, was the favourite to win the final. Swiatek defeated the American in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. However, Kenin had to take an injury time out early in the second set. During her post-match interview, Swiatek wished her opponent well and wondered if Kenin's performance was in fact greatly affected by the issue on her upper thigh.

Nevertheless, a win is a win and Swiatek knows that she has just made history. "I wasn't expecting to win this trophy. It's obviously amazing for me. It's a life-changing experience," she said.

After firing the winning shot, Swiatek could not hold back her emotions and dropped to her knees as Kenin waited for her at the net. Once she was able to stand back up, she requested permission to head to the stands. Ignoring coronavirus safety protocols, she raced through the crowd to climb up to her box. There, she gave members of her team tight hugs before heading back down to accept her trophy.

Swiatek is not a stranger to big victories. two years ago, she won the juniors Wimbledon title. Winning the French Open proves that she is a versatile player who is a force to be reckoned with on different surfaces. She also comes from an athletic lineage, having been born to former Olympic rower Tomasz Swiatek. She credits her father for raising her to be comfortable in the face of high level competition.

Swiatek is also the first player, man or woman, from Poland to ever win a French Open title. She said after the match that it is the time for underdogs in women's tennis at the moment. However, with such promising results, it remains to be seen if this is the beginning of a new Swiatek era.