Roland Garros favourite Iga Swiatek laid into the French crowd for shouting out during rallies after she had just saved match point in a breathless comeback to beat the former world No 1 Naomi Osaka.
Swiatek’s 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 victory was a match to set this soggy French Open tournament alight. Osaka stood one point from victory at 5-3 in the deciding set, but Swiatek found a searching return, then raised her level from what had previously been a jittery performance.
Few had seen this level of challenge coming from Osaka, who had struggled against the little-known Lucia Bronzetti in the opening round. But she was brilliant for long periods, suggesting that she has finally cast off whatever anxieties she has about red clay.
In her on-court interview after the match, Swiatek said: “I am sorry to bring this up. I have huge respect for you guys and I know we are playing for you. This is entertainment and we are also making money because of you.
“But sometimes under a lot of pressure when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused.
“I usually don’t bring this up because I want to be this kind of player that is in the zone and really focused.
“This is serious for us, we are fighting our whole lives to be better and better. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that. The stakes are big. There is a lot of money to win. The few points may change a lot.
“So please guys, if you can support us between the rallies not during that would be really, really amazing. I hope you are still going to like me because the French crowd might get some players that they don’t like and boo. I love you guys. I love playing here – let’s continue that.”
The behaviour of the home fans had already become a hot topic on Wednesday, after Belgian star David Goffin complained that he had been subjected to three-and-a-half hours of abuse – including one incident where a spectator spat chewing gum at him – during his first-round win over French wild card Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Earlier in the tournament, there was also a suggestion that raucous support for another French wild card, Terence Atmane, might have helped him escape with a slap on the wrist after hitting a loose ball into the body of a spectator.
Returning to the match, the problem for Osaka was her lack of practice in proper pressure situations. Yes, she has played some hard-fought matches since returning from maternity leave in January. But none of them held the meaning that this one did: a chance to dethrone the odds-on French Open favourite on the court she is making her own.
Put simply, Osaka choked. She missed three comfortable putaways from way inside the court in that decisive service game at 5-3. She wasted the first with a forehand into the net, the second with a backhand into the net and the third with a backhand that flew long.
