Last weekend, Iga Świątek won the Masters 1000 for the third time. By prevailing in straight sets against her main rival on tour Aryna Sabalenka (6-2;6-3), the Pole further strengthened her position as the unquestioned queen of the WTA tour.
It took less than one and a half hour for Iga to seal the win against Sabalenka. The Belorussian wanted her revenge after the Madrid final, when she could not break Świątek despite having had several match points. This time, the brutal and breathtaking exchanges between both champions led to a more one-sided outcome.
Iga Świątek dominates the tennis world in a ruthless way and is the large favourite to prevail once more at the French Open. Here is a list of 5 spectacular facts about the young Polish star following her third crown in the Eternal City.
- 104 weeks as world number 1 and counting
Iga Świątek is the ninth WTA player with the most weeks as world number. If she reaches the second week in the French Open, she is virtually assured of overtaking Justine Henin and her 117 weeks on top of the charts by August. The next target would then become Ashleigh Barty (121 weeks).
Most weeks as WTA world number 1 as of 21 May 2024. Source: Wikipedia
- 39 wins for 4 losses in 2024
The Varsovian champion won more than 90% of all the matches she has played so far this season. She is currently on a 12 match winning streak and seems determined to continue winning in this incredible clay season she is having. Back in 2022, she pulled of an incredible series of 37 matches without losing.
- 10 Masters 1000 titles
Iga Świątek will turn 23 in a few days. At such a young age, she has already become the one with most Maters 1000 titles among active players. The overall record is held by the American legend Serena Williams who won 23 of those in her long and successful career.
- 21 career titles
As mentioned above, although being merely 23, “1GA” already won 21 WTA titles. This makes her the fifth player with most titles among active players. Her list of triumphs include 4 Grand Slams, namely the French Open editions of 2020, 2022 and 2023 as well the US Open 2022.
- 8 finals won in a row
Świątek has now triumphed in her last 8 singles finals. The last occasion the Polish player was defeated in a final was by Sabalenka in Madrid last year – which is also the only time Sabalenka outplayed Świątek in the five finals they have contested (all of which were on clay).
With all of the above and much more, Iga shows no signs of slowing down. Let’s hope to see her perform well at the French Open and beyond!
Image: X (@iga_swiatek)
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
