Iga Swiatek won 83 of her first 100 Slam matches: How well did Monica Seles, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Martina Hingis & Venus Williams do?
Iga Swiatek beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open 2024. She has advanced to this stage for the second time following her title-winning run in New York two years ago.
It was also Swiatek's 100th career match at the Majors, and she has now notched up 83 wins after contesting a century of matches. She's the quickest to reach this mark from her generation as well. 35 of her 83 wins have come at the French Open, where she has won four titles.
The US Open is Swiatek's next-best Major with 20 wins for now and one title. She has 17 victories at the Australian Open and 11 wins at Wimbledon. While the Pole has achieved an impressive feat, six women have already outperformed her in this metric.
Here's a look at the players who secured more wins from their first 100 Grand Slam matches than Iga Swiatek:
#5 - Venus Williams
Williams registered 85 wins from her first 100 Grand Slam matches. She reached her first Major final on her third main draw appearance and lost to Martina Hingis in the summit clash of the US Open in 1997.
Williams made at least the quarterfinals of the next eight Majors except for the French Open 1999, where she bowed out in the fourth round. She then nabbed her maiden Major title at Wimbledon in 2000 and backed up the win with a triumph at the US Open a few months later.
The American defended both of her titles the following year. The quarterfinal of the French Open in 2002 was her 100th match at a Major, and she beat Monica Seles 6-4, 6-3 to advance further. Williams has more than tripled her Major match wins since then and has a 271-85 record.
#4 - Martina Hingis and Serena Williams
Hingis and Williams are up next with 86 wins each from their first 100 Major matches. The former won all five of her Major singles titles during this run, and her 100th match was against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the fourth round of the US Open 1999.
Hingis beat her in straight sets only to lose to Williams in the final. It was the latter's maiden Grand Slam victory. She wouldn't win another Major title until 2002 when she swept four in a row starting from the French Open to complete the first "Serena Slam".
Williams' 100th Major contest took place in the semifinals of Wimbledon 2003. She defeated Justine Henin to record her 86th win at the Majors, and then beat sister Venus in the final to defend her title. She would end her career with 23 Major titles, and a 368-56 win-loss record at the Majors.
#3 - Steffi Graf
Graf took some time to get going at the Majors, though once she finally did, there was no stopping her. She had a 28-11 record at the Slams during the first four years of her career. She won her first Major title in her fifth year on the tour at the French Open in 1987 and was the runner-up at the next two Majors.
Graf established herself as a legend the following year as she won all four Majors and the Olympic gold. She remains the only player to have completed the Golden Slam. The German's 100th Major match was the French Open semifinal in 1989 and then lost to Sanchez Vicario in the final.
Graf tallied 87 wins from her first 100 matches and won six Major titles during this period. She concluded her career with 22 Major titles and a 278-32 record at the Majors.
#2 - Chris Evert
Evert made the semifinals of the US Open 1971 on her Grand Slam debut. She didn't lose before that stage until she bowed out in the third round of Wimbledon in 1983. Her record of 34 consecutive semifinals at the Majors stands to this day.
Given her penchant for making a deep run at every Major right from the start of her career, Evert racked up 90 wins from her first 100 matches at the Slams. She finished her career with 18 Major titles and a 299-37 record at the Slams.
#1 - Monica Seles
Seles' career was off to a flying start as she nabbed her maiden Major title in her fourth main draw appearance. She beat Graf in the final of the French Open in 1990 to achieve the same. She won all three Majors that she contested the following year and won another three in 1992, and finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon.
Seles started the 1993 season with her third straight triumph at the Australian Open. Her life was completely upended a few months later when a deranged fan stabbed her at a tournament in Hamburg. She went on a hiatus for two years and returned to the tour in 1995.
Seles reached the final of the very first Major upon her comeback, which was the US Open, though she lost to Graf in the final. She was back in the winner's circle once again the following year as she won the Australian Open, and it marked her 92nd win from 99 matches at the Majors.
Her first-round duel at the French Open 1996 was her 100th Major match, and she beat Caroline Dhenin to record her 93rd victory from a century of Major contests. This feat of hers remains unmatched to this day. Seles wrapped up her career with nine Grand Slam trophies and a 180-31 record.