How Federer helped shape Iga Swiatek's apparel deal with On

MIAMI -- World No.1 Iga Swiatek will debut a new look on court when she turns to her favorite part of the tennis calendar next month. The Polish star is leaving behind Asics to sign an apparel deal with On, the Swiss-running brand that counts Roger Federer as a co-owner. Along with the ATP's 20-year-old phenom Ben Shelton, Swiatek will spearhead the company's first foray into tennis apparel.

"I think just the fact that Roger is involved in that kind of company is just a good recommendation for tennis players," Swiatek told reporters at the Miami Open, where she was forced to withdraw due to rib injury. "I think also he influenced a lot on [the company's] side, so that's why they want to go further and they want to sign players."

Swiatek confessed she has yet to meet Federer in person because her debut on tour coincided with the Swiss legend's reduced injury-plagued schedule. But the two were in conversation during her decision-making process. Swiatek will wear a custom edition of THE ROGER Pro, a competition shoe designed individually for her play style, with consultation from Federer and the On innovation team.

"I'm pretty happy that we could make it happen because I feel like we share the same values," Swiatek said. "They have a personal approach for the players. I feel like it's treating me first like a person, but not mainly as a machine to win, you know?

"It's a nice feeling to have that kind of support. I'm really happy that I'm starting this new chapter."

Swiatek was set to debut her new look at the Miami Open, where she was the defending champion. But an injury sustained during her run to the semifinals at Indian Wells last week ruled her out of competition.

The next event on her schedule is the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she is the defending champion. Stuttgart begins on April 17.

wtatennis.com

 

Defending Miami Open Champion Iga Swiatek withdraws with rib injury

Defending champion Iga Swiatek has been forced to withdraw from the Miami Open due to a rib injury.

The World No.1 said in a statement Wednesday that she'd been managing the injury since winning the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month. The top seed in Miami, Swiatek was expected to play American Claire Liu in the second round on Thursday after receiving a first-round bye.

"You know that in and after Doha I was struggling with a strong infection," Swiatek said. "I was allowed to play, but a strong episode of tough cough led to a rib injury. We were trying to handle it and continue to play as long as it was safe for me. We were analyzing the data in the last days and my doctor prepared my diagnosis.

"Unfortunately, I'm still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain and I can't compete."

After losing in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open to eventual champion Elena Rybakina, Swiatek hinted at her physical concerns in an Instagram post.

"I gave it all but Elena was a better player today," she wrote. "Unfortunately I'm feeling discomfort and pain in my ribs and it was challenging for me to compete at my highest level. Now, I just need to consult with my medical team and I will definitely use these next days to recover."

She said that the injury will also keep her out of Poland's Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier against Kazakhstan, to be played in Astana from April 14-15.

"I will keep you updated about where I play next, because it depends on my process of recovering and the recommendation of my medical team," she said. "I have the best team behind me, we only need some time to deal with the injury. It's a truly difficult call to not play in Miami and BJKC, but health is the most important.

Swiatek said she first felt the injury toward the last few games against Sorana Cirstea in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells but wanted to complete the tournament.

But Swiatek decided to take a more cautious approach to safeguard against her injury worsening in Miami.

"I'm kind of aware if something hurts, it's usually going to be a problem in the future," Swiatek said in a press conference Wednesday at Hard Rock Stadium. "That's why I wanted to check it out as fast as possible. That's why I'm kind of taking a much more safe approach to that. That's why I'm pulling out."

When asked about whether she had any concerns over rankings implications, Swiatek conceded she understand she'll lose points, "but it doesn't change anything in terms of my approach and my mentality.

"I was also aware at the beginning of the season that it's going to be hard for me to defend all these points because it's not, like, these streaks, winning all these tournaments is like, looking logically and statistically, it's not like it's going to happen every year."

Swiatek did not lose a set in Miami last year, when she became the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double of winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back.

Swiatek will be replaced in this year's Miami Open draw by lucky loser Julia Grabher.

wtatennis.com

Well this was not unexpected, sad but not unexpected. Speedy recovery Iga!. 

See you in April on the clay.

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek signs new apparel, footwear deal with Swiss Company On

 

It’s on, officially.

Iga Swiatek and Ben Shelton will be sporting On apparel and footwear ahead of the Miami Open, joining a team that boasts 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer as an investor.

“I’m happy the On team believes in me as an athlete and a person,” Swiatek said in a statement on Instagram. “We plan to grow, develop and make an impact together. You’ll see me in totally new outfits during my next matches and I hope you like it as much as I do.

“And what’s more exciting… we started to work on my shoes which are crucial in my job and will complement my style of play, giving me everything I need on court. As the process of designing unique shoes takes time, you’ll see me in On shoes later during the year. And when you do… it’s gonna be huge.”

Swiatek previously wore ASICS through her run towards the top of women’s tennis, winning three major titles under their apparel umbrella. Shelton, who is represented by Federer’s Team8 agency, has been wearing New Balance as of last week’s BNP Paribas Open—where he pushed defending champion Taylor Fritz to three sets—but wore On apparel in an intermittent capacity last fall.

"Iga and Ben represent the next generation of world-class talent," said Federer, who first began investing in the Swiss-based brand in 2019.

"Both players demonstrate On's competitive spirit and embody current and future champions of the sport. We are pleased to welcome them to the On family."

Swiatek is the top seed in Miami after reaching the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

tennis.com

Of course she signs on with a company where one of the all time greats is an investor. 

So glad she didn't go with Nike or Adidas. 

I haven't liked any of their kits for several years now, and there's nothing worse than coming on court wearing the same kit as your opponent. 

Which with those 2 companies happens on the regular. 

This will allow Iga to stay as unique as her tennis :). 

I'm sure signing with a European vs American company makes things easier too. 

Looking forward to seeing Iga's new apparel in Miami and  custom made shoes later on in the season.

Jazda! 

Iga Swiatek falls short of Indian Wells title defense courtesy of Rybakina

 

Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Not the result you wanted today. Can you just talk about what happened out there.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure, Elena played great tennis today, and I feel like against her I have to play better. She was playing really well.

I’m pretty sad that I lost, but on the other hand, overall, it’s a pretty good tournament for me.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Can you explain maybe in a little bit more detail what you think Elena did well.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don’t know if it’s like, honestly — I feel like it’s still more me and kind of my mistakes. I’m also like not feeling 100% physically. I have a little like discomfort in my rib, and we’re going to consult with medical team. For sure I’m gonna use these days off before Miami, so actually I have one more day.

Q. On that issue, the physical issue, has that been with you for quite a few days now? What sort of discomfort is it? Did you at all think back to the Australian Open match that you all played?

IGA SWIATEK: We were thinking about the Australian Open more like we wanted to kind of learn a lesson from that match. We were, you know, just analyzing, but mainly my coach did that, so I wanted just to kind of use his tips and improve my game. But I wasn’t able to do that today.

In terms of the rib, you know, we’ll see, because I still have to run some tests and see what’s going on. I don’t know yet.

Q. Was the injury you speak of affecting you as you played, or was it more mentally on your mind?

IGA SWIATEK: It’s hard to say. Honestly, I haven’t played with a lot of injuries. It’s a new situation for me, for sure. Last time I played with an injury, like the only tournament I can remember is like Roland Garros 2019 (smiling). So I was pretty young.

For sure, you know, now it’s a totally different level. So I feel like going on that matches you have to be 100% fit.

Q. On the same topic, since you realized you had the injury, have you spent extra time working with it, and has it helped at all, or has it really stayed the same or gotten worse?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, you know, I have been playing, so there has been some fatigue all the time. I would say it’s kind of constant, but I’m pretty sure that tomorrow or day after will help in recovery.

Q. I don’t mean to go over yesterday, but was that part of maybe the reason for the lengthy time, that you were trying to get this treated and see hopefully it was going to be feeling a bit better?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah. Honestly, yeah. I had to — yeah, yeah, it was.

Q. Do you think there’s a chance you might not play Miami?

IGA SWIATEK: No, like for now I’m preparing to play, but we’ll see what next days are going to tell us. I don’t know yet.

Q. Feeling ill when you’re traveling is always terrible. What do you do for comfort and mentally to make yourself feel better and rest when you’re on the road?

IGA SWIATEK: Oh, that’s a nicer question (smiling). Like most of the time I read.

Actually, I didn’t have to like come up with many ideas on this tournament, because, like, the tournament made it really special for me. We really stayed in a nice place.

They even bought ukulele for us (smiling). It was really fun. I did like two sets of Legos. I wanted to really keep my mind busy and not think about tennis. Yeah, so it’s different stuff.

But for sure I feel like on the road sometimes it’s easier to rest than when you’re at home, because also, you know, when I’m at home, like most of my free time I’m spending sometimes, you know, working on the other part of my career, you know, like business-wise. Actually, this time, like before the tournaments, it’s like a chill time with some quality practices. I really like it.

Q. Do you think it’s a big challenge for you to play against player who is very strong?

IGA SWIATEK: That is very strong?

Q. Who hit the ball very strong, Sabalenka, Rybakina.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don’t know honestly, because I also won many matches against Aryna and I played against Elena, you know, two years ago and it was fine.

So it’s hard for me to like take everything under consideration and decide if it’s hard or not. I would say that I can still improve as a player, and there are some like things I want to focus on.

But still, I feel like I can play great tennis even, you know, against players who are serving pretty fast and everything.

But for sure, you know, last couple of matches against Elena, they weren’t perfect for me, but I will try to do better next time.

Q. Just going back on what you were just saying, did you say you were making Lego kits?

IGA SWIATEK: Lego sets, yeah.

Q. Did you say you were doing Lego?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah.

Q. So when you make up these pieces, what do you do? Just leave them at the tournament or…

IGA SWIATEK: No, I actually travel with them, and they break during the flight usually, so I have to do them again at home. That’s the process.

Q. When you just said the business life, the other part of your career, just expand on that and explain some of that activity and what you’re doing.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I have pretty big team in Poland. IMG joined this team last year, so, you know, I’m kind of reaching out to them and asking, you know, for any updates. They are obviously like talking all the time and doing that for me, which is nice, because I wouldn’t… they’re talking about money.

But I feel like there are many things honestly, because yeah, I want to kind of expand my work in Poland and also do some nice stuff. Obviously kind of I am still figuring out about some international things that I want to do. I want to kind of combine that and put it together, and I feel like we created a really nice team.

I didn’t know, you know, a couple years ago if it’s gonna be possible for me to have, like, both teams working together, because, you know, it’s tough in terms of communication and everything, but they made a great effort, both IMG and my team in Poland. So I’m pretty happy with the results.

But yeah, usually I’m just there, I’m just talking with them and also sometimes there are like some decisions to make and I have to do that. I don’t want to focus on that during the tournament, so time off, it’s good for that.

bnpparibasopen.com

She has been lucky thus far the last few years not getting any injuries so I suppose it was bound to catch up with her at some point. 

Really hope whatever the rib issue is it's not too serious or long term. 

Not taking away anything from Rybakina's performance, but we've all seen how badly rib issues can effect a player Rafa at last year's Indian Wells comes to mind.

And this wasn't the Iga we normally see. The fact she didn't take a comfort break at the end of the first set should have been the tip off. 

I think she just knew she wasn't going to be able to hang with Rybakina physically not being a 100 percent. 

All that said I do think that both Rybakina and Krejcikova are so far the only 2 players who have gotten into Iga's head a bit and they are able to cause her to panic and not feel as free when hitting her shots. 

I have no doubt though that Iga will find a way to over come it. Provided she stays healthy. 

Still have to look at the positives despite having a nasty cold since Dubai and not feeling a 100 she still managed a final and 2 back to back semis. 

Here's to a speedy recovery Iga, rest up!. 

See you in Miami (hopefully).  

Iga Swiatek makes it back to back semis in Indian Wells

 

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- World No.1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek booked her return to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open after defeating Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday.

As Swiatek bids to become just the second woman to defend the title at Indian Wells, she will face reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Friday. The duel will be a rematch of their Round of 16 clash at the Australian Open in January, which Rybakina won 6-4, 6-4.


With No.2 Aryna Sabalenka advancing to the semifinals on Wednesday, this marks the first time since 2014 that the top two seeds have reached the semifinal stage at Indian Wells. That year, No.1 seed Li Na and No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska progressed to the semifinals, with Radwanska eventually advancing to the final.

How the match was won: Swiatek jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead to start the match, but Cirstea broke back immediately, breaking Swiatek from 40-15 down to get on the board. But after the two exchanged holds to 3-2, Swiatek raced away. The Pole reeled off the next eight games to build a 6-2, 4-0 lead after an hour of play.

Cirstea stalled Swiatek's momentum with a break of serve to move to 4-1 in the second set, but Swiatek held on to her break advantage to close out the match after 1 hour and 22 minutes.

The victory extended Swiatek's head-to-head record over Cirstea to 2-0. Into her third consecutive semifinal, Swiatek has yet to lose a set during this fortnight. She has now won 10 consecutive matches at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Stat of the match: It was a dominant and clean day of tennis for Swiatek, who finished with 19 winners and 13 unforced errors, breaking Cirstea on five of her break chances.

Up next: Swiatek's victory sets a rematch with reigning Wimbledon champion Rybakina. The Kazakh advanced to her first WTA 1000 semifinal after a tough three-set win over Karolina Muchova. She is one of three players who has tallied a win against Swiatek this season; she ended Swiatek's quest for a fourth major title at the Australian Open. Swiatek and Rybakina have split their two meetings, both of which were played on hard court.

Swiatek is bidding to become the first No.1 seed to advance to the Indian Wells final since Serena Williams in 2016 and the first top seed to win the title since Victoria Azarenka in 2012. Should she go on to successfully defend the title, Swiatek will join Martina Navratilova as the only two women to win back-to-back championships at Indian Wells.

wtatennis.com  

Now comes the round I've been dreading a rematch with Rybakina. 

I'm hoping the slow night time conditions of Indian Wells as opposed to the fast day conditions of Aussie Open at the start of the year will really work in Iga's favor.

But she's still going to have to serve well to keep it close and pressure Rybakina the way Muchova was able to do. 

And she'll definitely have to win the first set. If the stats this year are anything to go by. 

I get the feeling though that Iga will be better prepared for Rybakina's serves this time around.

Needless to say I will be a complete bundle of nerves tomorrow night.

Jazda Iga!

Iga Swiatek back in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells

World No.1 Iga Swiatek moved one step closer to a successful title defense at the BNP Paribas Open after defeating 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-3, 6-1 in the fourth round on Tuesday night. Swiatek will face Romania's Sorana Cirstea in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Three takeaways from Swiatek's business-like return to the quarterfinals.

Once again, Swiatek pulls away: In back-to-back matches against Grand Slam champions, Swiatek's confidence showed in her match management. Her ability at just 21 years old to feel out her opponents and then suddenly break away in the tiebreak is second to none.

In her wins over Bianca Andreescu in the third round and Raducanu in the fourth round, you could see how Swiatek's surges left her opponents looking to the sky with demoralized grins. Andreescu, by her own admission, played a great match. But Swiatek slammed the door in the second-set tiebreak by playing seven perfect points.

Similarly, Raducanu played a solid match. She did well to keep pace with Swiatek early, matching the World No.1 from the baseline and defending valiantly from the corners. But a Raducanu double fault while serving down 3-2, 0-30 gave Swiatek her best chance to break and the game's best returner took her opportunity immediately. Riding a run of nine straight points, Swiatek broke open the match to lead 5-2 and closed out the set two games later.

"Overall I feel like physically she is much further ahead than I am at this moment," Raducanu said. "I think I was able to stay competitive in the beginning of the first set. I think the first three games took over 20 minutes. And we were having some pretty epic rallies, and I actually think my defense got better.

"But that meant me running. I think that she just kind of ground me down a bit."

With a set in hand, Swiatek dominated the second set. With a clear game plan of holding steady and breaking Raducanu down with patient, prolonged rallies, Swiatek closed out the match after 1 hour and 24 minutes.

"I always want to finish [points] as fast as possible if I have a chance, but for sure I know that sometimes it's not going to be possible here," Swiatek said. "I'm pretty sure that some of these shots would be winners in different conditions, but here the ball is bouncing and it's slower.

"I'm always pretty good in defense. I knew that I can't rush it and I can't be not patient, so I just stayed solid and I wanted to choose the right directions. It was more about that, not the speed and forcing everything to play a winner."

Swiatek finished with 22 winners and 14 unforced errors, while converting 4 of 10 break points. Raducanu was held to 9 winners to 22 unforced errors, going 0 for 2 on break points.

Raducanu's confidence-boosting week is one to build on: After winning her first-round match over Danka Kovinic, Raducanu told reporters that she only made the decision to play 20 minutes before taking the court. After a bout with tonsillitis forced her out of the ATX Open two weeks ago, she revealed a wrist injury had flared up again during training.

But Raducanu powered through and scored two big wins, beating Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette and No.13 Beatriz Haddad Maia in back-to-back matches. Not only did she win three consecutive matches for just the second time since 2021 US Open, but her win against Haddad Maia was her best win by ranking since beating No.12 Belinda Bencic during her US Open title run.

Raducanu acquitted herself well in her second meeting against Swiatek. She could not match the Pole in her consistency of width and depth but was able to stand her ground on the baseline and force Swiatek to unleash her formidable defensive and counter-punching skills.

"I'm very proud of myself," Raducanu said. "Now it's just about consistent work to physically get to where I want to be. I saw a taste of the level where No.1 is at physically and how she is at the corners, repetitive, relentless. Yeah, I just couldn't take that."

Swiatek faces Cirstea next: Bidding to make her second consecutive WTA 1000 semifinal, Swiatek will face Cirstea for a second time in her career. It will be the first meeting since their three-set duel at the Australian Open last year. There, Swiatek rallied from a set down to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the Round of 16.

"It was an amazing match, and usually I don't say that when I lose a match," Cirstea said. "Since then she just took off. She's been playing amazing.

"She's such a complete player, she moves great, she doesn't have any flaws in her game. She's, from my point of view, the best mover we have. It's really hard to find a weakness in her game. I like Iga, I think she's the sweetest girl. She's such a wonderful role model."

Cirstea booked her spot in her first Indian Wells quarterfinals by upsetting No.5 Caroline Garcia 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

"I've been playing quite well as well, so I'm quite confident in my game," Cirstea said. "I know it's not going to be easy. I know she's the favorite."

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek bests Andreescu faces Raducanu in Indian Wells 4th round

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- While World No.1 Iga Swiatek separated herself from the field last year when she won six straight tournaments and 37 consecutive matches, her mastery has continued into the new season.

The most recent example came Monday night at the BNP Paribas Open in a bruising matchup between two former BNP Paribas Open’s champions, Swiatek (2022) and Andreescu (2019), which she won as a wild card. It was Swiatek who prevailed in breezy, heavy conditions, 6-3, 7-6 (1).

After playing a terrific match, Andreescu couldn’t contain Swiatek in the tiebreak, losing seven of eight points.

“She changed the rhythm pretty well and with this surface it can get tough,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview. “But I’m pretty happy I was solid most of the times, at least. And that I could be recomposed in the tiebreaker because I really knew that I could get my focus up.

Swiatek is the only player yet to play a three-set match this year (minimum 15 played) and has ripped off a tour-leading 14 straight-set victories. Moreover, since the beginning of 2022, she’s won the most matches in straight sets (25) -- eight more than the next player, Jessica Pegula.

The difference, as usual, could be seen in the crucible of break points. Swiatek converted five of eight, while Andreescu converted one fewer. Swiatek, now 2-0 against Andreescu, is still on track to become the first woman to defend the title here at Indian Wells since Martina Navratilova in 1991.

"It was a really tight match, and I'm really happy that I actually played such a tight match, because now I see how I can handle those situations after couple of matches that were kind of one way.

"I think we both played well. I'm happy that in those important moments, I was the one that was more solid."

This is already Swiatek’s 13th trip to the Round of 16 at a WTA Tour 1000. Since 2009, only three other players -- Caroline Wozniacki (23), Victoria Azarenka (15) and Agnieszka Radwanska (14) -- accomplished that before turning 22 years old.

In a flurry, Andreescu won that 2019 title here, then the Toronto 1000 and the US Open. She was 19 years old. Since then, dogged by a variety of injuries, it has been a slog. She’s 6-6 for the year and looking for a spark. This match, despite the result, might have been the thing she was looking for.

"I know that my game was definitely going to level up to hers," Andreescu said afterward. "I knew she was going to play well but I didn't know she was going to play that well, but that's what you have to expect from the World No.1.

"She literally does not miss. You could hit any shot in the world and she literally will not list. She'll find a way to get to it, she'll put it where she exactly wants it."

It took Andreescu all of five minutes to equal Claire Liu’s one-game effort in Swiatek’s first match, breaking Swiatek in the opener. That seemed to wake Swiatek up. The second game, featuring three deuces, required eight minutes, but Swiatek had broken back.

After another lengthy game (four deuces) that saw Swiatek take a 3-2 lead, she broke Andreescu again with an emphatic backhand winner down the line. Make that 4-2. She served it out when Andreescu’s ball clipped the net chord and bounced back.

Swiatek came out swinging in the second set, breaking Andreescu in the first game, but serving a 2-1, suffered an unusual lapse in concentration. An errant forehand got the set back on serve. When Swiatek was threatening to break back, Andreescu hit a terrific forehand stretch volley winner that brought the crowd to its feet -- and had Andreescu pumping her fist.

The Canadian broke Swiatek to take a 4-2 lead, but Swiatek immediately forced the set back on serve. She took a 5-4 lead, breaking Andreescu -- at love. Naturally, Andreescu broke right back to level it at 5-all and it was off to the one-sided tiebreak.

"Complete domination," Andreescu said, when asked about the tiebreak. "I did not feel like I played much less than I played the whole match. She just pounced on every ball. I think I missed two shots."

The 21-year-old Swiatek now meets 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, 20, in a Wednesday night matchup between two more Grand Slam singles champions. Swiatek won their only previous match, last year in Stuttgart.

"I think after Stuttgart, I just know how her shots feel on the racquet, because before I haven't even practiced with her," Swiatek said. "So it helps in that way, but on the other hand, we are playing on hard court. There it was clay, but actually, this surface is slower.

"I have to really take care of the tactics anyway, and we'll see. Honestly, every day is different. The Stuttgart match was almost a year ago. So a long time ago."

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek 50 Weeks at #1

She's just the fourth player in WTA rankings history to amass 50 or more weeks at the top spot in their first stint.

There are no new ATP or WTA rankings this week as we're in the middle of a two-week ranking period for Indian Wells.

But for Iga Swiatek, the milestones keep coming anyway.

The Polish trailblazer, who first ascended to No. 1 on April 4th last year after winning Miami, will spend her 50th consecutive week at the top spot during the second week of Indian Wells this week.

Since WTA rankings began in 1975, Swiatek is just the ninth woman to record a streak of 50 or more consecutive weeks at No. 1.

WOMEN TO SPEND 50+ CONSECUTIVE WEEKS AT NO. 1:

Chris Evert (113 weeks from ’76-’78, 76 weeks from ’80-’82)

Martina Navratilova (156 weeks from ’82-’85, 90 weeks from ’85-’87)

Steffi Graf (186 weeks from ’87-’91, 87 weeks from ’93-’95, 94 weeks from ’95-’97)

Monica Seles (91 weeks from ’91-’93, 64 weeks from ’95-’96)

Martina Hingis (80 weeks from ’97-’98, 73 weeks from ’00-’01)

Serena Williams (57 weeks from ’02-’03, 186 weeks from ’13-’16)

Justine Henin (61 weeks from ’07-’08)

Ashleigh Barty (114 weeks from ’19-’22)

Iga Swiatek (50 weeks from ’22-present)

WOMEN TO SPEND 50+ WEEKS AT NO. 1 IN FIRST STINT AS NO. 1:

Steffi Graf (186 weeks from August 17, 1987 to March 10, 1991)

Martina Hingis (80 weeks from March 31, 1997 to October 11, 1998)

Serena Williams (57 weeks from July 8, 2002 to August 10, 2003)

Iga Swiatek (50 weeks from April 4, 2022 to present)

Swiatek isn't just the only woman born in the 2000s to reach No. 1, she's still the only one to even reach the Top 3.

And finally, Swiatek is now the 13th woman to spend a total of 50 career weeks at No. 1 in WTA rankings history.
WOMEN TO SPEND 50+ CAREER WEEKS AT NO. 1:

377: Steffi Graf
332: Martina Navratilova
319: Serena Williams
260: Chris Evert
209: Martina Hingis
178: Monica Seles
121: Ashleigh Barty
117: Justine Henin
98: Lindsay Davenport
71: Caroline Wozniacki
64: Simona Halep
51: Victoria Azarenka
50: Iga Swiatek
The 21-year-old has no chance of losing her top ranking during the Sunshine Swing, meaning she’ll pass Azarenka for 12th place on the above list during the second week of Miami.

tennis.com

Iga Swiatek rolls on in Indian Wells Opener faces Andreescu next

 

Defending champion Iga Swiatek's BNP Paribas Open campaign began Saturday with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over American Claire Liu.

The top seed and world No. 1 won the first 11 games of the match inside Stadium 1 before easing to victory in just over an hour, the fifth time this season she's dropped just one game in winning a match.

"Coming back after such a great result last year is something else," Swiatek said on-court in victory. "I wanted to get my level of energy up a little bit, because it's the hardest thing to do when everything goes your way.

"For sure, Claire used that moment when I didn't play as aggressive that I should be, but I'm pretty happy that I was able to close it pretty fast."

Here are some key numbers from Swiatek's dominant start:

65: Swiatek needed just 65 minutes to open her title defense.

13: The World No.1 improved to 13-3 in 2023 with the win. All 13 of those wins have come in straight sets.

2-0: Swiatek is now 2-0 against 2017 junior Wimbledon winner Liu all-time in the pros. Saturday's win was in stark contrast to her first win: a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 win in Auckland four years ago.

6: The first set was the sixth 6-0 set that Swiatek has won so far this season.

0: Swiatek did not face a break point in victory. In fact, she only lost 11 points in seven service games.

7: Liu won just seven points in the 26-minute opener. Five of those game in the first two games: She got to 30 on Swiatek's serve to open the match, and was broken from 40-15 in the second game.

11: Liu lost the first 11 games of the match before saving the double bagel in the 12th game. Liu, who hails from Thousand Oaks, Calif., served her first ace of the match down 6-0, 5-0, and later saved a match point, en route to holding serve with a cross-court forehand winner past Swiatek at the net.

19: Liu won 19 points total in the second set, and had several opportunities in other games. She got to deuce on Swiatek's serve to start, and had a game point to hold in the third game. She also had a game point serving down 3-0 in the set, after saving two break points, but eventually dropped serve for the fifth and final time.

4: The 6-0, 6-1 win is Swiatek's fourth such win by that score this year. She previously beat Christina Bucsa (Australian Open), Danielle Collins and Veronika Kudermetova (Doha) by that same margin. (She also beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 in Dubai.)

15: Swiatek hit 15 winners in 13 games. Liu managed only two.

26: The Polish star also forced 26 errors from the American's racquet. Liu only hit nine unforced errors in the match.

Swiatek will next face 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in a battle of former Indian Wells champions. Swiatek won the only previous meeting with Andreescu, a 7-6(2), 6-0 win over the Canadian en route to the Rome title last year.

Andreescu booked her spot in the third round with a gritty effort to upend American wildcard Peyton Stearns 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

wtatennis.com

My fave stat is actually this:  only player yet to play a three set match from the 23 women’s players who have played a minimum of 15 matches in 2023. The player with the most straight set wins in 2023 (13). 

and this one:  44-13 all-time at WTA 1000 level, for a win rate of 77.2%. Now ahead of Maria Sharapova at 76.8%, Swiatek now only trails Serena Williams (83.1%) since the format's start in 2009. Elite.

Iga Swiatek 2022 Indian Wells Champion mural unveiling