"I think it’s really awesome what she’s doing" - Naomi Osaka on Iga Swiatek's 4 consecutive title wins
Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka has hailed Iga Swiatek for her incredible hot streak.
The 20-year-old racked up her 23rd consecutive win on Sunday in Stuttgart, beating Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets for her fourth successive title. One of Swiatek's wins during her unbeaten streak came against Osaka in the Miami final.
Interestingly, the Japanese was the last WTA player before Swiatek to win 23 successive matches in a run that stretched from the 2020 US Open to the 2021 Miami Open.
#1 Iga Swiatek, winner of her last four tournaments, has withdrawn from WTA 1000 Madrid citing a right shoulder injury.
Osaka's winning run included three titles and the Japanese said during a Madrid Open press conference that she would like to follow in Swiatek's footsteps and win four straight events.
"I think it’s really awesome what she’s doing," she said. "I wish I would be able to win four tournaments in a row. I think to me she just looks really concentrated, which is really cool at such a young age."
4 - Prior to Iga #Swiatek, the last player to win four consecutive tournaments disputed has been Serena Williams (US Open 2013, Beijing 2013, WTA Finals 2013 and Brisbane 2014). Unbeatable.
@PorscheTennis @WTA_insider @WTA
Osaka added that she is looking forward to taking on the young Pole on clay.
"I think she has a goal, maybe we all don’t know about that goal, but it really looks like she has a purpose," she said. "It’s really cool to see her playing that well, and I really want to play her on clay just to see what happens."
Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, has withdrawn from this week's Madrid Open due to a shoulder injury.
"She's like Eleven in Stranger Things" - Maria Sakkari on Iga Swiatek
Maria Sakkari is another WTA player who has lauded the Pole for doing the "right things".
Sakkari, who beat Swiatek three times last year, has lost their last two meetings, including the Indian Wells final.
"I've been telling you guys that she has been doing the right things," she said. "You don't win four tournaments in a row if you don't deserve it. It's exciting. She's obviously feeling confident."
Sakkari noted that she shares a great rivalry with Iga Swiatek, which augurs well for the women's game.
"But I see myself up there and I see that I can be one of the players that can make her feel that it's tough when we play each other," she said. "She has actually said it a lot of times, how we have a great rivalry. It's great for our sport because she's a young player, she has a different personality, in a good way, of course. It's exciting for our game now that Ash is not here."
The Greek added that despite her on-court success, Swiatek is a "nice girl" who possesses "something special." She also compared the former French Open champion to the character Eleven from Stranger Things.
"Obviously, you can tell she's a very, very nice girl," she said. "She's a very good person. You can tell from her eyes and from her and from her aura and everything. She has something, not a superpower, but something special. She's like Eleven in Stranger Things. She has something."