"I read somewhere that the Poland Open is invalid compared to the ones in Canada & the USA, well... it was important to me" - Iga Swiatek
Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek took to social media to celebrate her 15th career title, for which she defeated German Laura Siegemund in the women's singles final of the 2023 Poland Open with a scoreline of 6-0, 6-1.
The World No. 1 picked up her fourth title this season after prior triumphs in Doha, Stuttgart and Roland Garros. Swiatek asserted her dominance as she cruised to the title without losing a single set in her home tournament.
Speaking to her followers on Twitter, Swiatek reflected on the highs of the past week. She expressed that the Poland Open is very important to her, even though many others were dismissive of it when comparing the tournament to the ones in USA and Canada. She also thanked her followers for their ever-present love, support and positivity.
"What a week it has been! I read somewhere that this tournament [Poland Open] is invalid compared to the ones ahead of me in Canada and the USA. Well... it was very important to me and I'm glad that I felt so much support and positive energy from you. Thank you for that and see you soon. #proud," tweeted Iga Swiatek.
🫶🏼Co to był za tydzień!Przeczytałam gdzieś, że ten turniej jest nieważny wobec tych, które przede mną w Kanadzie i USA. Cóż...dla mnie był bardzo ważny i cieszę się, że poczułam tyle wsparcia i pozytywnej energii z Waszej strony. Dziękuję za to i do zobaczenia niedługo. #proud pic.twitter.com/gf6il3YO69" target="_blank" title="tweet-url" rel="noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/gf6il3YO69" target="_blank" title="tweet-url" rel="noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/gf6il3YO69" target="_blank" title="tweet-url" rel="noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/gf6il3YO69
After winning the title in Warsaw, the 22-year-old reflected on the efforts she put in and went on to thank her family and her team for their support.
"I want to thank my team and my family. It's not easy to play in Warsaw, but I'm so happy that we could manage and do everything we could today, after a pretty tiring day yesterday," Swiatek said at the presentation ceremony.
"I wanted to put it all in and go for it. I'm pretty happy that I did," she added.
Iga Swiatek equalled the impressive Serena Williams after playing her 100th match as World No. 1
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek also became the only WTA player to have played 100 tour-level matches as a reigning World No. 1 since 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
Astonishingly, the Pole matched Williams' exact record at 87 wins and 13 defeats across her opening 100 matches as the top-ranked female player. The 22-year-old proved her worth as the top competitor by going on a 37-game unbeaten streak last year after having secured the No. 1 spot as a result of the surprise retirement of Ashleigh Barty.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has been atop the WTA rankings since 4 April 2022 and has cemented her spot further after winning the 2023 Poland Open. She will now aim to defend her title at the US Open in the coming days, following preparatory events in Montreal and Cincinnati.