3 incredible feats that Iga Swiatek has recorded en route to second French Open final
Iga Swiatek stormed into the finals of the French Open with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-1 win over Daria Kasatkina of Russia.
Swiatek, who won the tournament in 2020, has now extended her unbeaten streak to a whopping 34 wins, equalling serena-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Serena Williams' tally which the American achieved in 2013. The Pole could equal Venus Williams' 35 match win streak if she triumphs in the Roland Garros final.
Swiatek, who was widely expected to go the distance at the French Open following her incredible performances this season, has now achieved some incredible feats in the run-up to the second Grand Slam final of her career.
#3 Swiatek is the youngest female player to win 20 matches at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis in 1999
Following the win over Kasatkina, the World No. 1 has become the youngest female player since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win 20 matches at the French Open.
20 - Iga #Swiatek is the youngest female player to win her 20th match at the #RolandGarros since Martina Hingis back in 1999. Precocious.
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Swiatek, who was ranked World No. 54 in 2020, then became the lowest-ranked player to win at Roland-Garros since the introduction of the ranking system in 1975.
Interestingly, her first French Open title was also her first WTA title, which she bagged by breezing past Sofia Kenin in the final.
The Pole became the first player from her country to win a Grand Slam singles title and is also the youngest-ever French Open champion since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
Swiatek lost to Maria Kakkari in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year.
Martina Hingis of Slovakia was 19-years-old when she made it to her second French Open final in 1999.
#2 Swiatek is the first player to reach six finals in the WTA Tour in the first six months of the year since Serena Williams in 2013
Swiatek, who replaced Ashleigh Barty at the top of the rankings after the Australian's surprise retirement, has dominated the women's tennis scene with a series of impressive performances.
6 - Iga #Swiatek is the first player to reach 6+ finals in the WTA Tour in the first six months of the year since Serena #Williams in 2013 (seven). Start.
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At the Qatar Open in February, she got past Annet Kontaveit to win her second WTA 1000 tournament. The Pole then became World No. 2 following her win at the Indian Wells Open, where she overcame sixth-seeded Maria Sakkari in the final match.
Swiatek completed the sunshine double as the new World No. 1 and justified her ranking by overcoming Naomi Osaka to win the Miami Open.
The girl from Warsaw brushed aside Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart Open final to win her fourth straight WTA title.
The winning streak continued at the Italian Open, where Swiatek defended her title by getting past Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
Back in 2013, Serena Williams made it to the final of the Brisbane International, Qatar Open, Sony Open Tennis Championships, Family Circle Cup, Mutua Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.
#1 Only 8 female players younger than Swiatek have made it to a second French Open final
After making it to her second French Open final, the 21-year-old also achieved another unique record. Only eight women have reached their second French Open final younger than Iga Swiatek in the Open era.
8 - Only 8 female players have reached her second final at the #RolandGarros younger than Iga #Swiatek in the Open Era: Evonne Goolagong, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Ana Ivanovic. Repeat.
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Evonne Goolagong, who won the French Open in 1971, made it to the finals again in 1972 when she was 20. Chris Evert was 20 when she won the tournament in 1974 after having played the finals in 1973.
Steffi Graf won two consecutive French Open titles in 1987 and 1988 when she was 19 years old, while Monica Seles did the same in 1990 and 1991 - quite incredibly when she was just 15.
Arantxa-Sanchez Vicario made it to her first final at Roland-Garros in 1989 and again in 1991 as a 20-year-old.
Matina Hingis advanced to the finals at Paris 1997 and again in 1999 when she was 19. Kim Clijsters made it to the finals for a second time in 2003 at the age of 20 after losing to Jennifer Capriati at the 2001 French Open final.
Ana Ivanovic was just 16 when she lost to Justine Henin in the 2007 final, but went on to win the title in 2008.
American teenager Coco Gauff stands between Swiatek and a second French Open title.