By Greg Vega 
Polish player Iga Svitek advanced to the final of the French Open tennis series with his 34th victory in Paris. The 21-year-old, who won the set 6-2, 6-1 against Russia’s Tarja Kasatkina on Thursday, now faces American Koko Kaf in Saturday’s final. The 18-year-old defeated Martina Travison of Italy 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals to become the youngest player to reach the French Open final after the Belgian Kim Glisters 21 years ago.
Celebrating her only Grand Slam title at the State Roland Carousel in 2020, Swiatech ended Serena Williams’ Super Series in 2000 with a win over Kasatkina. His victory in the one-sided game at Philippe Chatterjee took only 64 minutes. “This is a very special moment for me. I’m very emotional right now,” SwiDech said after the game.
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The pole initially had only a few issues with Kasatkina. 2-0 after an early break, the Pole had to drop its service on its own. Casatkina drew 2-2, but then Swede lifted their position to another level and played six games in a row. 38 minutes later he got the first set. In the second division he dominated as the number one player of the tennis world and used the first match ball for the ace.
In the second semifinal, Kauf and Travison fought to a draw in the first set. Both players struggled to perform better. At the end of the first round, Kauf won the Junior Women’s Championship at State Roland Carros in 2018, gaining strength and winning the first set.
After that Travison had to be treated for a few minutes. The Italian player won the match in Rabat before the French Open, so he played a lot recently. It is now noticeable that Travison started the second set with a thick thigh bandage. Despite the Italians trying everything again here, Kauf was very strong this weekend in Paris and used his first match ball after 1:28 hours.
“I’m a little shocked right now. I have no words to describe it,” Kauf said after his victory. She wants to go to the final on Saturday with the same calm as in all the games that have taken place in Bois de Boulogne so far. “A lot of things are happening in the world right now, especially in the United States. It’s just a tennis match,” Kauf said. (dpa)