CHENNAI: On Monday, one of the surest things in tennis, a Rafael Nadal win in the French dirt, came to an end. Battling on in the December second week of his career, the Spaniard great fell to Alexander Zverev in first round. The 14-time winner of the French Open had lost his kingdom for only the fourth (and perhaps last) time in his career.

Some 48 hours after Nadal existed, another player, already a future Hall of Famer of the sport, showed why she is en route to becoming one of the best on this surface. The best players don’t just merely dominate opposition. Even on their off days, they manage and find ways to prevail against adversity.

That’s what Iga Swiatek managed to do against a redlining Naomi Osaka, a four-time Slam winner herself. Down a match point in the third stanza, the Pole came up with the goods to win to claim a 14th consecutive win on the surface. She had won both clay tun-up events at Rome and Madrid before the Paris Major.

“On clay, she’s a different kind of beast anyway,” was how Sania Mirza put it when the former doubles World No. 1 was asked about Swiatek’s place in the women’s game. “For the last few years, she has been as dominate as anyone else, especially when it comes to this surface.”