Following Iga Swiatek's loss, Serena Williams remains the last player to finish a season undefeated on clay
American tennis legend Serena Williams was the last person to finish the season (2013) unbeaten on clay 28-0, after World No. 1 Iga Swiatek's surprise loss to Carolina Garcia at the Poland Open.
Iga Swiatek lost to Caroline Garcia of France in three sets on Friday, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, in the quarterfinals and was eliminated from her home tournament in Warsaw.
After winning titles at Stuttgart, Rome, and Roland Garros and having a 18-0 winning streak, Iga Swiatek snapped her unbeaten record on the surface this year. She had not lost on claycourts since losing to Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals of the French Open last year and was unable to equal or surpass Serena Williams' win-streak on the surface.
@CaroGarcia snaps Swiatek’s 18-match clay win streak, defeating the World No.1, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4!Upset COMPLETE 🚨
🇫🇷 @CaroGarcia snaps Swiatek’s 18-match clay win streak, defeating the World No.1, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4!
#PolandOpen https://t.co/gnkTjBGAeL
In 2013, Williams had an excellent winning streak of 35 matches that began in Miami. She then played her first claycourt tournament at the Family Circle Cup, where she was able to successfully defend her title by defeating Jelena Jankovic in the final.
This was followed by another successful title defense at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she defeated her arch rival Maria Sharapova in straight sets.
Later, the American upset former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka to win the Italian Open, also known as the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. This triumph marked her third consecutive title on clay. It was also her second crown in Rome, and her first victory since 2002.
Williams gave a nice finishing touch to her claycourt season as she went on to win the French Open for the first time by defeating second seed and defending champion Maria Sharapova.
The Swedish Open served as the American's final claycourt competition of 2013. Without dropping a set, she defeated Johanna Larsson to claim the title. Thus, she finished the 2013 season with five titles on clay and a 28-0 record on the surface, which remains unbeaten to date.
Including a 2013 year with 28 matches on clay and 28 wins: titles in Charleston, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and Bastad. twitter.com/gfin240/status…
"You can’t bet against her"- Vijay Amritraj on Serena Williams' chances at the 2022 US Open
Serena Williams will return to the New York Major at Flushing Meadows, where she will be aiming for her 24th Grand Slam title following her heartbreaking first-round exit from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
In light of this, former Indian tennis player and commentator Vijay Amritraj spoke with EssentiallySports about Williams' chances at the 2022 US Open. He claimed that returning after a protracted absence isn't particularly simple, but counting her out would be a foolish choice.
"Coming back after a long layoff is never easy, " Amritraj said, adding, "Even for a great champion like Serena Williams, you need some matches under her belt and that’s an important aspect. The second thing is, of course, the physical ability. Does she feel fit enough to win seven matches on a hard court in the US… and that’s not easy and it can get very hot and muggy in Queens when the matches are on."
"Thirdly, does she have still the mental fortitude to keep herself so closeted for the seven matches now? which she hasn’t done in a while. But only because it’s Serena Williams, you can’t bet against her,” he added further.
The US Open begins on August 29.