After surviving Elena Rybakina's onslaught at French Open, will Iga Swiatek turn her season around?

"It was tough," the 24-year-old Pole said. "In the first, I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner."   

Sinner, of course, is the world No. 1 in men's singles. At the beginning of the second set, Swiatek continued to struggle. She double-faulted at the end of her first game and soon trailed 2-0.  

Per Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press, she turned to her coaches after losing her eighth game. Perhaps they reminded her she's a four-time French Open champion. Swiatek then rallied, winning six of the seven final games in the second set. 

Rybakina and Swiatek continued to battle in the third set. In the ninth game, the Kazakhstani star's double fault was overruled when she trailed 40-15. She used that to spur a comeback and win the game 5-4.

Swiatek, however, remained composed. She held on to love in the next game. Afterward, she won the match's final two games. Exhilarated, Swiatek roared after the hard-fought victory.

"I needed to do something to get back into the game, the way she was playing, I didn't have a lot of hopes, but I kept fighting," she said. "At the end, I was able to play my games so I was happy." 

Swiatek will face Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal on Tuesday, where she aims to win her 26th consecutive match at Roland-Garros. 

Surprisingly, Swiatek hasn't won a singles title since the 2024 French Open. Sunday's match against Rybakina could give her the confidence boost she needs.