Poland's Iga Swiatek beats Sofia Kenin for French Open title
Paris: With the poise of a veteran and the shots of a champion, 19-year-old Iga Swiatek picked the perfect place for her first tour-level title: the French Open.
Unseeded and ranked merely 54th, Swiatek grabbed the last six games to beat Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1 in the final at Roland Garros on Saturday, becoming the first Polish tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles trophy.
When she smacked one last forehand winner to the corner to end things, Swiatek placed her right hand over her mouth then crouched, shaking her head.
"It's crazy. Two years ago, I won a junior Grand Slam, and right now I'm here. It feels like such a short time," Swiatek said, her voice cracking. "I'm just overwhelmed."
Hard to believe? Maybe. This was, after all, only her seventh major tournament; she'd never been past the fourth round.
But the way she played these two weeks made this outcome less of a surprise.
Swiatek is the first woman to triumph in Paris without ceding a set since Justine Henin in 2007. She lost only 28 games across seven matches, too.
She is the first teen to win the women's title at the French Open since Iva Majoli in 1997.
And Swiatek did it with victories over such opponents as 2018 champion Simona Halep and 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova, both by scores of 6-1, 6-2.
So it made sense that Swiatek would be able to get past Kenin, a 21-year-old American who was trying to claim her second major title of 2020 after winning the Australian Open in February.
"A great tournament. A great match," Kenin told Swiatek during the trophy ceremony.
Kenin was 16-1 in Grand Slam matches until Saturday. But she dealt with a leg issue in the second set and showed frustration by kicking her red-white-and-blue racket after lost points.
And then there was this: She ran into the composed Swiatek, who only recently completed her high school studies, listens to Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses before walking on court, travels with a sports psychologist and meditates during changeovers, breathing slowly with her eyes closed.
"I was just mentally consistent, Swiatek said. I felt like today was really stressful for me, so it was kind of hard. This weekend is the culmination of an unusual two weeks, to say the least.
The tournament was postponed form May-June to September-October because of the coronavirus pandemic; the recently rising number of COVID-19 cases in France led the government to limit the number of spectators allowed on the grounds to 1,000 each day.
Some top women, including 2019 champion Ash Barty and three-time major champ Naomi Osaka didn't enter the event; 23-time Slam winner Serena Williams withdrew before the second round with an injury.
The temperature was in the mid-50s (low teens Celsius), with a slight breeze, and the hundreds of fans scattered in Court Philippe Chatrier were mostly subdued other than a group that would shout out Swiatek's first name, stretching it out over several seconds each time to sound like Eeeeeeeeeee-gah.
At the changeover after the third game of the second set, Kenin was visited by a trainer and went off the court for a medical timeout, then returned with her left thigh wrapped.
Kenin said after her fourth-round match Monday that she had slipped and maybe pulled something during practice the day before.
While Kenin was gone, Swiatek tried to stay warm by pulling on a white jacket and hitting some serves, earning applause from spectators. When play resumed, Swiatek needed only 12 more minutes to wrap up the victory, finishing with a 25-10 edge in winners.
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Deputy CM DK Shivakumar asks Vokkaliga Sangha office-bearers to postpone caste census meeting
Bengaluru, Jan 12: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said that he has asked the Vokkaliga Sangha office-bearers to postpone the meeting on the caste census.
He also warned them to stop squabbling or else he would appoint an administrator in the Sangha.
"A team of our new office-bearers came to meet me. They all came together after reconciliation. I have warned them that if the squabbling continues then I will appoint an administrator in the Sangha. They have agreed that they will work together," Shivakumar said.
Asked whether he held a meeting with the Sangha office-bearers, the Deputy CM said he neither conducted any meeting nor felt the need for it.
"The Sangha office-bearers had decided to hold a meeting regarding the caste census. I have told them to postpone the meeting as it would create unnecessary confusion. I also told them that I would talk to the seer of Adi Chunchanagiri Math Nirmananandanatha Swami about it," he told reporters here.
Vokkaliga is one of the major dominant communities of agrarians in Karnataka which Shivakumar belongs to.
The Chairperson of the Commission for Backward Classes, K Jayaprakash Hegde, submitted the socio-economic and education survey report, commonly known as the caste census report, to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on February 29, 2024.
It has triggered a debate among various backward communities as some have opposed it.
State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said on January 2 during the cabinet briefing that the cabinet would discuss the caste census in its next meeting.
Asked about Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti’s letter to the Home Minister about transferring the case pertaining to C T Ravi, the Deputy CM said the Home Minister would respond to it.
Ravi, a BJP MLC, is accused of using foul words against Minister for Woman and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar on the last day of the Legislative Council session in Belagavi on December 19, 2024.
A case has been registered against Ravi in this regard.
