Iga Swiatek makes back to back semis in Madrid from a set down

No.1 seed Iga Swiatek came from a set down to book her place in her second straight Mutua Madrid Open semifinal, defeating No.11 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 in 2 hours and 29 minutes.

Back at Toronto 2022, Swiatek lost her first career encounter with Haddad Maia in the third round. She has now won three straight matches over the Brazilian, having also trumphed in last year's Roland Garros semifinals and at this year's United Cup.

The Pole advances to her fifth semifinal of 2024 so far, and the 15th of her career at WTA 1000 level. She will face either No.8 seed and 2022 champion Ons Jabeur or No.18 seed Madison Keys.

Swiatek's second-set scoreline also tied her with Coco Gauff for the most number of 6-0 sets won in 2024 to date. Both have notched seven such sets, two ahead of third-placed Aryna Sabalenka with five.

How the match was won: Though Swiatek took an early 4-1 lead in the first set, the World No.1 was far from her best in a scrappy opening passage of play. She had squandered triple break point in the second game thanks to cheap backhand misfires, and had needed to save break point in two of her own service games.

Haddad Maia had also started slowly, conceding her serve in the fourth game with a double fault. However, once her big forehand strikes began finding the court, she was able to take advantage of Swiatek's vulnerability on serve to reel off five straight games for the set.

After committing 13 unforced errors to only eight winners in the opener, Swiatek responded in style. Raising her intensity in every department, she rattled through a run of eight games in a row, smothering Haddad Maia with both offense and defense. Swiatek lowered her error count to five in the second set, during which she did not face a break point and dropped only 12 points in total. By contrast, Haddad Maia found only one winner against 14 unforced errors.

Swiatek took her momentum deep into the third set, building a quick 4-1 lead. With her back to the wall, Haddad Maia was able to land a few more accurate blows, and Swiatek had to work harder to close out the win. She was up to the task, unleashing a pair of heavy forehands to seal victory.

In Swiatek's words: "I needed to for sure stick to the tactics, because in the first set I started making too many mistakes. I started playing too fast.

"I just needed to really get back to basics and what I wanted to play today. It took me a while, longer than usual, but I'm glad that it happened after the set anyway."

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I woke up early to check the scores of this one and as usual my blood pressure went up after seeing the first set result. 

But instead of falling back asleep I decided to follow it to see how it would go. Guess I just had a good feeling and thankfully Iga proved me right. 

The way she turned this match around was something else, she's such a great front runner and has such an amazing match win record after taking the first set, but it's a little less impressive when she loses it. 

Today she showed her champions mentality once again and just dug in. The remaining sets score line may look easy but she had to work for almost every point with some outstanding rallies. 

It's actually quite fun to see Iga dig herself out of trouble when her back is against the wall like this. It forces her to play even better and show what she's really made of. 

Next up will be a bit of a surprise in Madison Keys who was losing 6/0 2/0 before turning it around in 3 against Ons Jabeur who to be honest kind of let this match go. 

It's really too bad because she was finally making some real progress this season here in Madrid. 

At least she has a lot of positives to take away from this tournament.  

Hard to say what to expect from Keys, because she's one of those players who's so hot and cold with her serve and game. 

But as long as Iga stays calm and sticks to her gameplan all the way through I think we'll be good. 

It also gives me hope that the only time Madison beat Iga was on the quick hardcourts of Cincy a few years ago.

I think as long as Iga plays her game and keeps her moving it should be a match played on her terms (even with Madison's serve). 

Jazda Iga we believe in you!.

Favourite stats:

Back to back Madrid SF 

30-4 in 2024 

8-1 on clay in 2024


Iga Swiatek is 63-0 in matches where she has won at least a set by 6-0.


10 - Claiming the second set 6-0 against Beatriz Haddad Maia, Iga Swiatek has become the second player to achieve 10+ 6-0 sets at WTA-1000 events on clay, along with Simona Halep (17) - completed matches. Fightback.


25 - Defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia in Madrid, Iga Swiatek has now equalled Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova (29) for the fewest matches taken to achieve 25 WTA-1000 wins on clay, since the format’s introduction in 2009. Gritty.


15 - Iga Swiatek has reached a 15th WTA-1000 semi-final since the start of the 2020 season. Swiatek is the only player with 10+ WTA-1000 SFs over that span, with Aryna Sabalenka and Maria Sakkari the next-best (eight each). Benchmark.

Iga Swiatek makes back to back quarterfinals in Madrid

No.1 seed Iga Swiatek stormed into her second Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Sara Sorribes Tormo, the last home player remaining in the draw. The Pole won the last 12 games of the match, and dropped just five points in the second set.

A runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek is bidding for a first title at the only clay-court tournament at WTA 1000 level or above that she has yet to win. The Pole improved to 4-0 overall against Sorribes Tormo in their first meeting on clay, and advances to her fifth quarterfinal of 2024.

Swiatek will next face No.11 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who also preserved an unbeaten record to reach her second quarterfinal of the season. The 27-year-old is now 4-0 overall against Maria Sakkari after defeating the No.5 seed 6-4, 6-4, her 11th career Top 10 win and second of 2024.

Here are the key takeaways from Swiatek's dominant win.

Swiatek's match management is second to none: As her run of 12 games and resultant one-sided scoreline suggest, Swiatek was rarely troubled on the scoreboard. But she still had to adjust to different challenges as the match progressed.

In previous rounds, Sorribes Tormo had proved a real problem for two former Top 3 players, ousting Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka through indefatigable defense and shotmaking on the run. Swiatek made an impatient start, dropping serve in the opening game thanks to a double fault and three cheap forehand errors. But she was quick not to let that set the tone. Instead, she brought in her margins and used her raw pace to elicit rare errors from the Sorribes Tormo racquet.

The last two games of the first set were the tightest, and featured the best points of the contest as Sorribes Tormo successfully extended rallies and brought her lobs and drop shots into play. Swiatek was unrattled, winning her share of long exchanges and demonstrating the point construction she needed to stay a step ahead of the World No.55.

Thereafter, Swiatek rolled, flashing her forehand and slamming home drive volleys to sweep through the second set.

Swiatek has the opportunity to take control of another head-to-head: Back in 2022, Swiatek lost her first career meeting with Haddad Maia in the Toronto third round, a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 heartbreaker that the Brazilian used as a springboard to reach her first WTA 1000 final.

Swiatek got her revenge in last year's Roland Garros semifinals, but had to battle hard for it, saving one set point in the second set before scraping through 6-2, 7-6(7). But their third meeting in this year's United Cup was rather more straightforward: a 6-2, 6-2 rout for Swiatek.

Haddad Maia's first quarter of the season did not live up to her usual standards. Coming into Madrid, her record was a negative one with 10 wins to 11 losses. But three quality wins this fortnight over Sara Errani, Emma Navarro and Sakkari indicate that Haddad Maia has belatedly found her groove on clay.

"The biggest thing I remember is it was really tight in the first set," said Swiatek of their Roland Garris tilt. "The tiebreak was stressful. I remember the crowd also being crazy, because Brazilian crowd is taking all these instruments with them and making small music festival on the audience. So it was for sure different experience, a good one but tough to handle. It was a really intense match. I wouldn't expect an easy match against Bia, for sure."

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Iga Swiatek eases into the last 16 in Madrid

MADRID -- World No.1 Iga Swiatek advanced to the Round of 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open after defeating Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-1 on Saturday. The victory improved Swiatek's season record to 26-4.

Since 2000, Swiatek (87%, 67-10) holds the highest winning percentage of any player on clay at Hologic WTA Tour events. Only four other players have a win rate over 80% over that span: Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport.

With her win over No.30 Cirstea, Swiatek has now won her last 16 matches on clay against opponents ranked outside the WTA’s Top 20. At WTA 1000 events, she has not lost on clay to a player ranked outside the Top 20 since 2020.

Swiatek will face No.55 Sara Sorribes Tormo on Monday for a spot in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard advanced to the fourth round with a physical effort to defeat two-time finalist Victoria Azarenka 7-6(0), 6-3 in a 2-hour and 50-minute duel. Sorribes has enjoyed a resurgent week in Madrid, also notching straight-set wins over Bernarda Pera and Elina Svitolina.

Swiatek holds a 3-0 record against Sorribes Tormo. Their last meeting came at the United Cup in January, where Swiatek won 6-2, 6-1.

With the roof closed over Manolo Santana Stadium, Swiatek's precision game was in full flow as she improved to a perfect 4-0 over Cirstea.

"We still weren't sure actually before the match if the roof was going to be opened or closed," Swiatek said. "They only told us, like, 15 minutes before, and at that point they were sure, but before they were kind of looking for how the forecast looks like.

"I was ready for both scenarios, but for sure it felt a little bit like Roland Garros 2020 because of the weather today, and I knew that I can play well in these conditions."

A two-time quarterfinalist in Madrid, Cirstea found herself under relentless pressure in her service games. Swiatek generated a total of 14 break points in the match, breaking Cirstea's serve five times. In contrast, Cirstea saw just two chances to break Swiatek's serve, converting one break point in the match.

Already a champion at two of the four WTA 1000 events of the season, Swiatek is bidding to win her first Madrid title over the next fortnight. It is the only European clay tournament at the WTA 500 level or above that she has yet to win.

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This was definitely the most comfortable Iga has looked in Madrid and the best match she has played on clay in general this year. 

Used her athleticism to the fullest. 

It was great to see. 

She will definitely need that against Sorribes Tormo who loves being marathon woman especially on clay. 

Hopefully Iga won't let herself be drawn into too many extended moonball rallies.

Jazda!.

Iga Swiatek off and running in Madrid

 

MADRID -- World No.1 Iga Swiatek opened her quest for a first Mutua Madrid Open with a clinical display against No.52 Wang Xiyu, easing through a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the second round.

Swiatek will face 27th seed Sorana Cirstea in the third round Saturday.

Madrid remains the only big European clay title that Swiatek has yet to win, let alone win multiple times. The 22-year-old is already a three-time champion at Roland Garros and a two-time champion at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Of those clay events at the WTA 500 level or above, Madrid is also the one she's played the fewest.

This will be only her third run at the Madrid title. Swiatek made her tournament debut in 2021 and skipped the event during her 37-match, six-title win streak in 2022. Last year she came within a set of completing her clay-court collection, losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

"I love this place," she said. "I got to know the city a little better last year. So this time I feel more comfortable around."

With Lindsay Vonn keeping a close eye from the lower box seats, Swiatek inaugurated her 100th week at World No.1 with a comfortable baseline display. Wang booked her first meeting against Swiatek by saving match points to defeat Ana Bogdan in the first round on Tuesday.

Swiatek won 10 of the first 12 games to build a 6-1, 4-1 lead before Wang leveled the set to 4-4. But there was no sense of worry for Swiatek. She sealed the 76-minute win by breaking Wang for a fifth time to close the match.

"In the second set, I'm not happy with these two games where my intensity got a little bit down, but overall I knew what I had to do. I'm happy that I came back on the nice track and I finished with a nice score."

The unique challenges in Madrid are not a surprise to anyone. The majority of top players are coming from playing on indoor clay in Stuttgart. Madrid is played at a high altitude, meaning the balls can be tougher to control. The weather has been unseasonably cool in Europe this year, which adds an additional variable. Scheduling has also been a challenge, with players being slotted unpredictably across day and night sessions.

"Obviously [winning Madrid would mean] a lot," Swiatek said. "Winning any tournament like that, a big one, is a big thing. It's not something you get used to. You always want to fight for it."

But Swiatek dismissed the suggestion that completing her set of clay-court steak knives was weighing on her mind in Madrid.

"I don't think that way," Swiatek said. "Basically, I don't think about winning at the beginning anyway.

"Obviously every tournament has different atmosphere and is special in its own way. But on the other hand, it's a WTA 1000, and it doesn't really matter at the end which one I'm going to win. Every big tournament I win is going to give me confidence no matter where it is or what it looks like.

"So I don't really mind. I'm going to try to win every tournament I play at and that's all."

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The Swiatek era: Reflecting on 100 weeks atop the WTA rankings

 

Iga Swiatek was in bed at her Miami apartment when she received the staggering news: Ashleigh Barty, the world’s best player for the past three years, was retiring at the age of 25.

“They said it may be possible that I’m going to be World No.1,” Swiatek told reporters a little over two years ago. “It would be for me something special. I never expected that if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen that way.”

Abdicating the throne, Barty asked to be removed immediately from the rankings with a lead over Swiatek of more than 2,200 ranking points. And so, the 20-year-old from Poland was one match-win away from becoming the No.1 player.

“I was crying for a long time,” Swiatek said. “I mean, there was lot of confusion in me, for sure.”

Since then, Swiatek has been anything but confused. On Monday, she’ll reach 100 weeks as the Hologic WTA Tour’s top player.

A ‘pretty good group’

A century --100 years -- is a long, long time. The Internet is less than 50 years old and look how it’s transformed our lives. In the compressed world of professional tennis, where careers can be measured in a single decade, 100 weeks is a long time, too.

“No kidding,” said 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova. “How many people have done that?”

This is the 50th year the WTA Tour has compiled rankings and only nine women have held the No.1 ranking for 100 weeks or more.

Savor these Hall of Fame names: Steffi Graf, (377), Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Chris Evert (260), Martina Hingis (209), Monica Seles (178), Ashleigh Barty (121) and Justine Henin (117).

And now Swiatek is one of them.

“It means you are not a flash in the pan, but consistent, focused, and hungry to maintain a high standard for a long period of time,” Evert said. “It means you don’t look back and settle for some high moments but are determined and committed to be in the present and work even harder.”

Swiatek, at 22 years and 326 days, is the fifth youngest player to reach 100 weeks as World No.1. She has already won four Grand Slam singles titles and will be favored to win a fifth at Roland Garros in June.

Four months of flawless tennis

Swiatek was ranked No.9 at the start of the 2022 season. And while she had broken through with her first major singles title in the fall of 2020 at Roland Garros, otherwise there was scant evidence of the spectacular success that was to unfold.

Her first loss of the year, perhaps appropriately, came against Barty in the semifinals of Adelaide. Later, Swiatek would say that playing Barty, with all her slice-and-dice diversity -- and developing the defense to combat it -- made her a more complete player. She lost in the semifinals in Melbourne (to Danielle Collins) and in her second Dubai match to Jelena Ostapenko.

Swiatek wouldn’t lose again for 136 days.

The run started in Doha, where she won the title, defeating three Top 10 players at the end -- Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari and Anett Kontaveit. Swiatek was the winner in Indian Wells (over Sakkari in the final) and rose to the No.2 ranking. This, she said, was the first time she first contemplated the possibility of the No.1 ranking. The rare Sunshine Double was accomplished in Miami with wins over Coco Gauff, Petra Kvitova, Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka.

After winning both of her Billie Jean King cup matches against Romania, Swiatek kept it going in Stuttgart by taking her fourth straight title. She beat Sabalenka in a straight-sets final. The result was the same in Rome, where Swiatek took her third WTA Tour 1000 of the year and ran her streak to 28 straight matches.

Make that 35. Swiatek’s last four victories at Roland Garros were all over future Top 10 players -- Gauff, Daria Kasatkina, Pegula and Zheng Qinwen. It was her second title on the red clay in Paris in three years.

The transition to grass proved to be the deal-breaker. Swiatek managed to beat two qualifiers at Wimbledon before falling to Alize Cornet in straight sets.

In each and every tournament, all players but one are destined to lose. For more than four months and six events, Swiatek never experienced that empty feeling. Far from being daunted by the enormous weight of expectation that comes with No.1, she actually seemed energized by it.

Those 37 consecutive match-wins were the longest WTA Tour streak since Hingis posted 37 straight some 25 years earlier.

An unlikely reclamation project

Swiatek finished the season strong, winning the US Open and collecting her first year-end No.1. It was much the same in 2023. In retrospect, the sequel only suffered in comparison to the year before.

“Everybody’s after you,” Navratilova said. “Every single person. You are going to be on their resume forever, because how many times do you beat a No.1 player in the world?

“You can’t win, you cannot move up in the rankings. You can only widen the gap.”

Swiatek repeated her titles in Doha, Stuttgart and at Roland Garros, but with so many points to defend, Sabalenka gradually ran her down. When Swiatek went out in the fourth round in New York and Sabalenka advanced to the final, the run at No.1 was over at 75 weeks.

At that point, it seemed likely Sabalenka would finish as the year-end No.1. Swiatek, though, wasn’t accepting that popular narrative.

After splitting matches in Tokyo, losing to Veronika Kudermetova, Swiatek went on another one of her streaks. At the WTA 1000 in Beijing, she beat Top 10 players Gauff and Caroline Garcia on the way to the title.

Heading into the WTA Finals in Cancun, Swiatek knew precisely what she had to do -- and she went on to do it with precision. Swiatek dusted Marketa Vondrousova, Ons Jabeur and Coco Gauff in the group stage -- in straight sets. And then lifted her game even higher.

Her semifinal match against Sabalenka was essentially a winner-take-all confrontation. Over two rainy, difficult days, Swiatek carved out a 6-3, 6-2 win to give herself a chance to regain the No.1. The final was an anticlimactic 6-1, 6-0 victory over Pegula.

Sabalenka, who held the championship belt for eight weeks, thus was relieved of that burden. Swiatek finished the season with 11 straight victories. And took home her tour-leading sixth title. She lost only 20 games in Cancun, easily a WTA Finals record.

“Coming back to World No.1, it’s a dream come true, for sure,” Swiatek said afterward. “I would say I wasn’t expecting that right now, this season. I was hoping that maybe next year is going to be my year, but it seems like just working hard and focusing on the right things at the end worked.”

This year, she remains focused -- and it’s still working.

At 24-4 this year, Iga Swiatek holds a record of 123-20 as the top-ranked player.

She’s the only player to win more than one WTA 1000 (Doha and Indian Wells) and the welcoming European clay season beckons; Swiatek has lost a total of three matches on clay in the past two years.

Among the 10 players who have held the No.1 ranking in the past decade, Swiatek (86.2 percent, 119-19) trails only Serena Williams (88.3 percent, 143-19) for winning percentage as No.1 over that span.

While Navratilova acknowledges that total weeks at No.1 is a valid statistic, she prizes a more bottom-line analysis.

“There’s been a bunch of No.1s [29], but they weren’t all No.1 at the end of the year,” she said. “For me, it’s how many times you’ve been No.1 at the end of the year.”

Swiatek, who turns 23 on the last day of May, is in position to achieve a rare three-peat. She has a 2,700-point lead on No.2 Sabalenka and is looking to become only the sixth woman to hold the No.1 year-end ranking for three consecutive seasons, following Evert (1975-77), Navratilova (1982-86), Graf (1987-90, 93-96), Williams (2013-15) and Barty (2019-21).

“One-hundred weeks at No.1 is a huge achievement in any era. Congratulations to Iga. I’m so happy for her and have loved watching her hard work pay off,” Barty said.

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Iga Swiatek the constant source of my Polish pride. Here's to 100 more :).

The numbers behind Iga Swiatek's 100 weeks at No.1

 

Iga Swiatek has reached another career milestone. On Monday, April 22, the 22-year-old Polish star will spend her 100th week as the Hologic WTA Tour World No.1.

We break down the numbers behind Swiatek's memorable ascension to World No.1 in 2022 and her remarkable accomplishments since taking hold of the top spot for the first time.

 
Swiatek's Centennial

5: Swiatek is the fifth youngest player to reach 100 weeks as World No.1 (22 years and 326 days).

1. Martina Hingis: 18 years, 264 days
2. Monica Seles: 19 years, 89 days
3. Stefanie Graf: 20 years, 20 days
4. Chris Evert: 22 years, 293 days
5. Iga Swiatek: 22 years, 326 days
6. Ashleigh Barty: 25 years, 191 days
7. Justine Henin: 25 years, 227 days
8. Martina Navratilova: 25 years, 344 days
9. Serena Williams: 28 years, 212 days

749: Number of days it took Swiatek to hit 100 weeks at No.1 after reaching the top spot for the first time. Only Stefanie Graf, Chris Evert and Monica Seles in fewer days.

1. Stefanie Graf: 693 days
2. Chris Evert: 707 days
3. Monica Seles: 721 days
4. Iga Swiatek: 749
5. Martina Hingis: 812
6. Ashleigh Barty: 861
7. Martina Navratilova: 1,540
8. Justine Henin: 1,547
9. Serena Williams: 2,849

9: Players to reach 100 weeks as the WTA's World No.1. Swiatek is the fifth player to do so since 2000, after Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin and Ashleigh Barty.

From 0 to 100: How Swiatek plotted her path

175: Swiatek's ranking on January 1, 2019. The 17-year-old would play her first tour-level main draw a few weeks later at the Australian Open and make her Top 100 debut six months later.

1: In the fall of 2020, Swiatek became the first Polish player -- man or woman -- to win a Grand Slam singles title at the 2020 French Open.

28: Years since a woman younger than Swiatek won Roland Garros in 2020. At 19 years and 132 days, Swiatek was the youngest Roland Garros champion since Monica Seles in 1992. It had been 23 years since a teenager last won the tournament (Iva Majoli, 1997)

54: Swiatek's ranking going into 2020 Roland Garros, making her the lowest-ranked French Open champion since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975.

28: Games lost by Swiatek during her 2020 Roland Garros run, tied for the second-fewest games dropped en route to the Paris title. Swiatek sits in second place tied with Chris Evert's 28-game mark in 1979 and behind Stefanie Graf's 20-game mark in 1988.

6: WTA titles won by Swiatek before she became No.1 for the first time, including one Grand Slam and four WTA 1000 titles.

18: It took 18 months for Swiatek to ascend to No.1 after winning her first Grand Slam title.

28: Swiatek became the 28th WTA World No.1 on April 4, 2022, taking the baton from Australia's Ashleigh Barty.

13: WTA titles Swiatek won after she became No.1 for the first time, including Grand Slam wins at the 2022 and 2023 French Open and 2022 US Open.

6: Since she claimed the World No.1 spot for the first time, Swiatek is the player with the most Grand Slam titles (3), titles (13), finals (16), wins (131), Top 10 wins (27) and sets won 6-0 (39).


37: Number of consecutive matches Swiatek won in 2022, the longest WTA win streak of the century and longest since Martina Hingis also won 37 in 1997.

6: Consecutive titles won by Swiatek during her 136-day unbeaten streak in 2022.

36: Since 2020, Swiatek holds the most WTA Top 10 wins of any player with a record of 36-13 over that span. Maria Sakkari is the next best with 20.

75: Number of consecutive weeks Swiatek held the No.1 ranking until being overtaken by Aryna Sabalenka after the 2023 US Open on Sept. 11, 2023.

8: Number of consecutive weeks Aryna Sabalenka held the No.1 ranking.

11: Consecutive wins by Swiatek to finish the 2023 season, sweeping Beijing and the WTA Finals Cancun, to retake the World No.1 ranking.

1: Needing to win the match to reclaim No.1, Swiatek conceded just one game against Jessica Pegula in the championships match at the WTA Finals Cancun last fall. It was the fewest games lost in a final at the WTA Finals, breaking the record of two set by Martina Navratilova (1983) and Kim Clijsters (2003).

6: Swiatek became the sixth youngest player to finish consecutive years as year-end No.1 (22 years, 159 days). Only Chris Evert, Stefanie Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Caroline Wozniacki were younger.


How Swiatek's stats are stacking up alongside the all-time greats

8: Swiatek is 123-20 as the World No.1. She is one of eight players to win 100 or more matches while sitting in the top spot, along with Martina Navratilova, Stefanie Graf, Martina Hingis, Serena Williams Chris Evert, Monica Seles and Justine Henin.

1: In the last 10 years, only one player has a better winning percentage as World No.1 than Swiatek (86%, 123-20): Serena Williams (88.3%, 143-19).

36: In the past four decades, only Martina Navratilova has claimed more wins within their first 50 matches against opponents ranked in the WTA’s Top 10 than Iga Swiatek.

Victories in first 50 matches vs. Top 10

1. Martina Navratilova: 44
2. Iga Swiatek: 36
T-3. Chris Evert: 35
T-3. Monica Seles: 35
5. Stefanie Graf: 34

35: Grand Slam matches won by Swiatek as World No.1. Since 2000, only two players have won more Grand Slam matches as World No.1: Serena Williams (124) and Martina Hingis (36). Swiatek can overtake Hingis next month at Roland Garros.

2: With two titles from the opening four WTA 1000 events so far this year (Doha and Indian Wells), Iga Swiatek has surpassed Serena Williams for the highest tournament win percentage at WTA 1000 events entered.

80: Swiatek is one of only two players to hold a winning percentage of 80% or higher at WTA 1000 events (80.4%), along with Serena Williams (84.1%).

19: With a 19-4 record in WTA finals, Swiatek has equaled Chris Evert, Gail Sheriff and Nancy Richey for the most wins in their first 23 finals in the Open Era.

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Iga Swiatek falls short of 3-peat in Stuttgart

Well not the result we wanted. Iga's serve and return really let her down today, serve in the 3rd set in particular. 

She had 15 break points or something and only managed to take 2, definitely not great if you want to win. 

Had she gotten that 3-0 lead in the first set being 2-0 15-40 up she probably would have loosened up and it would have been a different match. But it was not to be.

On the other hand Rybakina wasn't even serving at her usual level either, at one point both had a first service percentage of 49. 

Came down to being just slightly better in the important moments in the match. And today sadly Rybakina had the edge. 

Still really proud of the way Iga fought after losing the first set and managing to take it to 3. 

Saving 8 breakpoints in one service game. Can't say she didn't try her damnest even when not firing on all cylinders.

 I'm actually surprisingly not too sad about this loss (sure I'm disappointed she didn't get the 3-peat) would have been another cool thing for the record books. 

But she already has 2 Porsche's, and I have no doubt they will not be her last. 

I'm mostly just sick of the tired narrative every time she loses to Rybakina the whole Iga has a big hitter problem, Rybakina is an all court player, blah, blah, blah. 

I'm not denying that Rybakina causes Iga problems because her serve always does, but let's not exaggerate and start penciling her in as a Roland Garros contender or anything. 

Beating Iga on an indoor clay is one thing, beating her on the normal slower clay of Rome and Roland Garros is quite another. 

Until she beats Iga at one of those tournaments convincingly I'm calling this a one off, and will always give Iga the edge on the surface (serve and all). 

You don't win 3 tournaments at Roland Garros by accident and Rybakina has yet to reach a final there.    

A lot of people on the internet think that Iga not getting enough preparation on clay (due to playing hard courts at BJK Cup right before) was  partly to blame for this loss. 

Maybe a little. 

I'd say mostly in terms of serve prep. But in general Iga herself has stated she has no problem changing surfaces. She did the same thing 2 years ago when she won the tournament for the first time. 

I'm more inclined to agree with the 2nd point people were making on social media and that's Iga's return and her unwillingness to adjust by moving further back and give herself more room to make a good return. 

That seemed to be the biggest culprit today. Hopefully that's something her coach can point out and work on for next time they meet. 

Next up is another unconventional tournament on clay in the altitude of  Madrid. 

Where I believe Iga reached the final last year. 

She has been really good at bouncing back from losses this season, lost in Australia won Doha, lost in Miami won Indian Wells all WTA 1000's as well. 

So maybe this is the year she finally wins Madrid Open.   

As I said the other day if she had to lose to Rybakina I'd rather it was here indoors then in Rome or Roland Garros. 

I'll be ecstatic if she wins another Slam in Paris and nothing else on clay (though I do secretly hope she does well at the Olympics too). Watching her reaction after the loss a few years ago was gut-wrenching.

I will be cheering on Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk tomorrow who has spent a herculean 10 hours on court to reach this final. 

Her matches have been the highlight of the tournament for me this year. 

Really hope she takes it.                                                         

Good effort from Iga this week nonetheless. 

Clay season is just beginning, with true clay still to come. 

On to the next one.

Jazda!.          

Iga Swiatek makes 3rd consecutive semis in Stuttgart

World No.1 Iga Swiatek's winning streak at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix extended to 10 matches on Friday as the two-time defending champion defeated former US Open champion Emma Raducanu 7-6(2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

For a spot in her third straight final in Stuttgart, Swiatek will face No.4 seed Elena Rybakina, who came from a break down in the third set to beat Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini in three sets earlier in the day.

Swiatek needed 2 hours and 3 minutes to dispatch the resurgent Brit, who was contesting her first quarterfinal since the autumn of 2022, and improve to 3-0 all-time in their historic head-to-head. But though Swiatek has never lost a set in those three matches, Wednesday's clay-court affair -- their second match in Stuttgart -- was the most competitive.

The first set was the story: For just the second time in 21 career sets played at the tournament, Swiatek was pushed to a tiebreak thanks to an inspired effort from the former US Open champion. The first set on its own lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes, and the first three games alone lasted more than 20 of those combined.


Raducanu was the first to break serve -- from 40-0 down, no less -- and although Swiatek broke her back immediately, the Brit served notice that she was ready to dig her heels in and compete in a seven-deuce opening service game.


After the first two games, only one more went to deuce -- and it was a crucial one. Raducanu saved the only other break point either woman faced in the first set in the sixth game -- when a second serve that was initially called out was overruled to in, and she was awarded the point.

But Swiatek's level raised in the tiebreak, where she won the first four points and five of the first six.

Swiatek speaks: After the match, Swiatek said that she was ready to navigate the challenge that Raducanu posed after the Brit's early hot start.

"She started playing at the beginning pretty loose, like she had nothing to lose, and I totally get that. Sometimes it is like that," the top seed said afterwards.

"But I knew I was kind of questioning if she's going to be able to keep the same intensity throughout the whole match. It wasn't about service games or return games. I was just the waiting for my chances to break back and I was sure that I'm going to get them."

Raducanu serves notice in defeat: Despite the loss, early returns for Raducanu have been positive in the clay-court season thus far. Her two wins for Great Britain in Billie Jean King Cup play against France, and two wins at the Porsche Arena over Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova, marked the first time she won four matches in a row since her life-changing US Open win out of qualifying three summers ago.

The former World No.10 came into the tournament ranked No.303, and her Stuttgart return was nonetheless a full circle moment: She missed the rest of the 2023 season following this tournament last year due to surgery on both wrists and her ankle. Raducanu is the lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA 500 quarterfinal since Elena Rybakina, who was a wild card ranked No.450 at the 2018 St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy.

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I said this in yesterday's post and I'll say it again I have missed watching Iga Swiatek play on clay. Just a totally different beast in the way she fights and her confidence on it. 

The shots she was making were superb. Feast for the eyes really. A great win over a player who's certainly gaining some momentum on clay. 

The first set was extremely impressive from Raducanu, really made Iga raise her level (as she did in the tiebreak). Not many players can hang with Iga on clay the way Emma did. So hats off.

Next comes the match I have been simultaneously wanting and dreading ever since their last meeting on this surface in Rome last year (where Iga retired due to hip injury). 

They did of course play on the hardcourts of Doha in February where Iga got the win. But I've been waiting for this rematch on clay. 

I'm glad it's happening here in Stuttgart rather than Roland Garros. Even though I'm sure Iga will feel some pressure trying to go for the 3-peat at least it's a 500 tournament. 

I have never wanted Iga to defeat an opponent more then I do Rybakina on clay. Just to prove that despite how good Rybakina's serve and her game is, and despite the trouble it sometimes causes Iga it's still no match on the clay. I want that so bad.  

I know it's definitely not going to be easy, but I believe in Iga's problem solving skills and her patience on clay, and I really think as long as she stays calm she's going to get the win. 

I'm anxious and excited for tomorrow. 

Jazda Iga!.

Cool stats time:

The World No.1 becomes the second player this century to win 11 consecutive matches against former Grand Slam champions without dropping a single set. (Also S. Williams, Wimbledon 2010 - US Open 2012)


Iga is an absurd 132-3 record when winning the 1st set since 2022 Doha when her win streak began, 33-0 on this surface. Overall record in that time period is an absurd 151-20.


World No.1
@iga_swiatek becomes the third player in the Open Era to win their first 10 matches at the #PorscheTennis Grand Prix after Tracy Austin and Maria Sharapova

Iga Swiatek makes a winning return on clay in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek had a victorious clay-court debut for the 2024 season on Thursday, when she defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

World No.1 Swiatek, playing her first match on the dirt since she won last year's Roland Garros title, needed 1 hour and 33 minutes to hold off 30th-ranked Mertens and claim a spot in the Stuttgart quarterfinals for the third straight year.

The winner speaks: "I'm really happy with the way I played," Swiatek told the press. "First match on clay, so it's always tricky. Elise was really good. Sometimes at defense I had to be patient and really work for the points. So I'm happy with the way I handled it.

"That's one of the things you have to switch from hard court, you have to be ready for longer rallies and for players to be able to get back more. And also, I can use that. I can also get back more balls. So it works both ways, but you have to switch that mindset to be more patient."

Fast facts: Two-time defending champion Swiatek remains undefeated at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, improving to 9-0 at the event with her latest win over Mertens of Belgium. Poland's Swiatek has defeated World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in each of the last two Stuttgart finals.

Mertens has accrued many victories in her career, including seven wins over Top 5 opposition, but this was surprisingly her first meeting with Swiatek in singles. Swiatek held sway in their first showdown, converting four of her six break points.

Major champion clash awaits: Swiatek will next face 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the quarterfinals. Raducanu defeated Linda Noskova 6-0, 7-5 to clinch her spot in the elite eight.

The showdown between the Grand Slam champions will be a rematch of their 2022 Stuttgart quarterfinal, which Swiatek won 6-4, 6-4. Four-time major champion Swiatek also defeated Raducanu 6-3, 6-1 at Indian Wells last year to take a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head.

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Feels like forever since Iga was back on the red stuff (not even the real stuff really) just indoor. But I've missed it. 

She's like a different player on it. Just an absolute joy to watch. Bit like the artistry Roger showed on grass over the years. 

So happy she'll be playing Raducanu instead of Noskova in the quarters was getting really tired of seeing her name on Iga's side of the draw this year. 

Really looking forward to tomorrow. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek celebrates 99th week as World #1

STUTTGART, Germany -- Iga Swiatek is back in her happy place at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The World No.1 is the two-time defending champion at the Porsche-Arena and was the picture of peace and excitement after her first practice of the season on clay.

"I'm happy to be back on this surface," Swiatek told reporters at Media Day in Stuttgart. "Obviously I really like it and I missed it. It's nice to be back.

"Also I love this tournament. I have really great memories. Hopefully I'm going to create some more memories this year."

Swiatek has more than just memories from this tournament, where she is a perfect 8-0. She also has the two Porsches she's won. And unlike regular tournament trophies, these aren't gathering much dust at home.

"When I'm practicing a lot and I'm tired, I like to have peace in my car," Swiatek said. "I really like how comfortable the Panamera is. Really, I mean, sometimes I'm putting loud music, but overall it's pretty quiet, pretty smooth. Still you can feel the sporty vibe.

"Sometimes I like to drive a little bit faster, but not too crazy. Obviously I have so much adrenaline on the court that sometimes I don't need any more off the court. I also have 911 at home. When I want to mix it up, I jump into the 911."

At that point in her answer, Swiatek laughed. Even she had to acknowledge how ridiculous this embarrassment of riches sounded.

"Sorry, it sounds weird," Swiatek said, "but I'm pretty proud of how I played during these past years here in Stuttgart. It's amazing we can have such a prize for winning. Pretty crazy."

On Monday, the three-time Roland Garros champion looked at ease as she practiced in the shadow of the lavender Porsche Taycan 4S Sport Turismo that awaits this year's tournament champion. Swiatek arrived in Stuttgart on Saturday after delivering Poland into the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Playing on indoor hard courts in Switzerland, Swiatek went 2-0 over the weekend to close out her spring hard-court season.

"I felt today that I can do the transition pretty quickly," Swiatek said. "I'm not expecting that I'm going to feel comfortable from my first match because you always need some matches to just gain confidence on any surface, even if you feel comfortable on it."

After a first-round bye, Swiatek will begin her quest for a three-peat against Belgium's Elise Mertens. She is bidding to become the first player to sweep the event in three consecutive years since Maria Sharapova did so a decade ago. She is an outstanding 63-9 on clay in her career, a winning percentage of 87.5 percent. The next best percentage among active players? Simona Halep at 72.9 percent.

Swiatek is checking off statistical milestones on a near-weekly basis, and this week is no exception. As the clay season begins, Swiatek is spending her 99th week at World No.1, passing Lindsay Davenport to sit at No.9 on the all-time list. She will celebrate her centennial week during the Mutua Madrid Open.

"Honestly, yeah, this is one of these stats actually [that make me sit up and take notice]," Swiatek said. "I think overall, that I'm in the Top 10 of all time in terms of weeks at No. 1, I wouldn't expect that ever a couple of years back."

Cumulative Weeks at World No.1:

1. Stefanie Graf: 377
2. Martina Navratilova: 332
3. Serena Williams: 319
4. Chris Evert: 260
5. Martina Hingis: 209
6. Monica Seles: 178
7. Ashleigh Barty: 121
8. Justine Henin: 117
9. Iga Swiatek: 99 (as of April 15)
10. Lindsay Davenport: 98

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Iga Swiatek announces cosmetic partnership with Lancome

 

For Iga Swiatek, nothing says confidence and glamor like a striking red lip. The world No. 1 is the newest brand ambassador for Lancôme cosmetics in a historic first for both a Polish woman and a female athlete.

Swiatek announced the landmark partnership in social media posts on Monday ahead of the start of her two-time title defense at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. As part of the announcement, where she revealed that she first was gifted Idôle perfume by Lancôme as a gift in her teens, the 22-year-old participated in a bold photoshoot wearing Lancôme products, clad in a black jumpsuit with sheer cutouts in front of a white background.

"I liked it a lot and since then I have had some good feelings about the brand," she wrote on Instagram. "I haven’t even thought that I will be announcing my cooperation with a beauty brand like this a couple of years later ... and that I will become the first Polish ambassador of the brand and first athlete among ambassadors like Zendaya or Julia Roberts. This is huge for me."

Swiatek also wrote that she was excited to be able to "celebrate [her] feminity" as a result of the collaboration.

"... Because as a tennis player, wearing mainly sports clothes, I don’t have a lot of opportunities to do so," she added.

Swiatek will also collaborate with the brand on an initiative in Poland that will support women in the job market, and an official social media post by the company hailed Swiatek by saying: "She perfectly mirrors Lancôme’s expertise in the beauty world, and she is the voice of the young generation and an inspiration for all."

After being named the world's highest-earning female athlete for 2023 by *Forbes* in December, the Pole's sponsorship portfolio continues to grow. Swiatek made an estimated $23.9 million last year, and currently has other brand deals with companies like Visa, Porsche, On apparel, Rolex, LEGO, and Poland's biggest insurance company PZU.

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Loving how diverse her partnerships are becoming. 

Iga Swiatek helps Poland to BJK Cup Finals

 

Poland, Great Britain, the United States, Romania, Germany, Japan, Australia and Slovakia clinched spots in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on Saturday, each moving one step closer to the prestigious women's tennis team title.

This weekend's eight Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers ties were all settled on Saturday, with the winners advancing to November's Finals in Seville, Spain. Here is a running breakdown of the final day of the Qualifiers:

Poland def. Switzerland 4-0

Iga Swiatek had to contend with a spirited effort by Swiss 18-year-old Celine Naef, but the World No.1 from Poland prevailed 6-4, 6-3 to send her nation back to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Despite falling behind an early break, heavy hitting by Swiatek allowed her to eventually take charge. At one point, Swiatek reeled off six straight games to lead 6-4, 4-0, putting her squad on the brink of sweeping 2022 champions Switzerland.

Rising teen Naef, ranked World No.148, showed off big shots and impeccable defense to get back on serve at 4-3 in the second set and put pressure on the Pole. In the end, though, Swiatek righted the ship to pick off the final two games and wrap up the 1-hour and 21-minute win.

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