World No. 1 Iga Swiatek poses with her fourth trophy this season in Stuttgart.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek seized her fourth consecutive title, earning a nod from tennis legend Chris Evert.
Swiatek smothered Aryna Sabalenka, 6-2, 6-2, in Stuttgart in what is her 23rd straight match won, to continue her dominance in the tour.
Evert, the 18-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1, praised Iga Swiatek on Twitter, saying, “Wow! @iga_swiatek is on a mission… She is dominating women’s tennis; fourth tournament win in a row…pulling away from the pack of incredible talent… @WTA”
Evert owns one of the most notable achievements in tennis: She went undefeated on clay for 125 matches in 24 tournaments from August 1973 to May 1979.
The former World No. 1 is a seven-time Roland Garros champion and won three titles at the US Open when it was still played on clay from 1975 to 1977.
Chris Evert (right) hoists her trophy in Roland Garros in 1986, her last in the tournament and the final major title of her career. She beat great rival Martina Navratilova (left), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the final.
Meanwhile, Swiatek won her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros two years ago, the youngest woman to do so since Monica Seles in 1992. Swiatek was then 19 years old.
She failed to retain her crown as she fell in the quarterfinals last season to Greek Maria Sakkari, 6-4, 6-4. But Swiatek is favored to reclaim her throne in the upcoming edition of Roland Garros, set to begin on May 22.
Iga Swiatek on a two-month roll, undefeated since February 22
Iga Swiatek defeats Aryna Sabalenka, 6-2, 6-2, to extend her title streak to four and match-win run to 23.
Iga Swiatek stretched her win streak to 23 matches to tie former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka’s run from 2020-21.
The twenty-year-old Pole kickstarted her dominance in her opening match in Doha in the month of Feb, where she beat Swiss Viktorija Golubic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. She overpowered Daria Kasatkina next, and then went on to beat three top-10 players – Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, and Annett Kontaveit in the final – en route to the title.
She then scored a rare Sunshine Double when she bested the field in Indian Wells and Miami. Only Steffi Graf (1994 and 1996), Kim Clijsters (2005) and Victoria Azarenka (2016) achieved it prior to Swiatek.
The Pole beat Clara Tauson, three-time Grand Slam champ Angelique Kerber, and this year’s Australian Open semifinalist Madison Keys, two-time major titlist Simona Halep and Sakkari to capture the crown in Indian Wells.
Swiatek followed it up with a victory in Miami, beating Golubic, Madison Brengle, teen sensation Coco Gauff, two-time Grand Slam champ Petra Kvitova and Jessica Pegula before overwhelming Osaka in the final as the Pole dealt Osaka with a bagel in the second set, 6-4, 6-0.
She then lifted Poland to the Billie Jean King Cup final, beating Romanians Mihaela Buzarnescu and Andreea Priscariu.
Swiatek had no trouble shifting to the clay courts in Stuttgart as she beat qualifier Eva Lys and 2021 US Open champ Emma Raducanu before surviving a three-set scare from Ludmilla Samsonova in the semis. She then overpowered Sabalenka, 6-2, 6-2, in the final for her fourth trophy this season.
