Iga Swiatek wins the 2022 French Open title: Records broken
What's the story
The 2022 French Open saw Iga Swiatek beat Coco Gauff in the women's singles final on Saturday. Gauff had reached her maiden Grand Slam final. Swiatek has claimed her second Slam title both overall and at Roland Garros. She beat Gauff in straight sets (6-1, 6-3). With this win, Swiatek has won her sixth straight title this year. We decode the key records.
Record
Swiatek equals this record of Venus Williams
Swiatek has won 35 straight matches, since her round of 16 loss at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. By beating Gauff here in the Paris final, Polish star Swiatek now has the joint-longest streak of this century, equaling Venus Williams' record of 35 straight wins set in 2000. She has also steered clear of Serena Williams, who won 34 straight matches in 2013.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Swiatek went into Saturday's final as the favorite against teenager Gauff. She bossed the show from the very beginning and didn't allow the space for Gauff to express herself. Swiatek has been in commanding form and she held her nerves to show her mental strength. She has raced to a 44-10 win-loss record in 2022. The dominance she displayed was top-notch.
Numbers
Grand Slams: Crunch numbers for Swiatek
Swiatek has a 21-2 win-loss record at Roland Garros and has extended her win-loss tally at Slams to 42-11. Besides winning the 2020 French Open, she had also reached the quarters here in Paris last year. Earlier this year, she had reached the semis of the Australian Open. Her win-loss tally at Grand Slams this year reads 12-1.
Performance
2022 French Open: Decoding Swiatek's performance
Swiatek beat Lesia Tsurenko in the first round, winning 6-2, 6-0. She overcame Alison Riske 6-0, 6-2 next. In the third round, the 21-year-old star defeated Danka Kovinic 6-3, 7-5. She bounced back in style versus Qinwen Zheng 6-7, 6-0, 6-2. She beat Jessica Pegula in the quarters, winning 6-3, 6-2. In the semis, she downed Daria Kasatkina in straight sets (6-2, 6-1).
Honors
Sixth successive title for Swiatek in 2022
Swiatek started her dominating run of form by winning the Qatar Open. She dropped just one set in the tournament. She claimed the Indian Wells title, dropping three sets in total. The Miami Open and Stuttgart Open trophies followed suit as Swiatek dropped one set across both tournaments. Last month, she claimed the Italian Open title. And now, she has won the French Open.
Information
3-0 career H2H tally over Gauff
Swiatek has a 3-0 record against Gauff in the head-to-head meetings to date. Prior to this win, the Polish star overcame Gauff at the 2021 Italian Open and the 2022 Miami Open respectively. Both matches saw Swiatek win in straight sets.
Information
The key numbers for Gauff
Gauff now has a 20-11 win-loss record in 2022. At Grand Slams in 2022, she has a 6-2 win-loss record. Gauff has an 11-3 win-loss record in Paris and 24-11 overall. Notably, she had reached the quarters in Paris last year.
Gauff
Gauff had scripted these records by reaching the final
As per WTA Insider, Gauff is the youngest Roland Garros finalist since Kim Clijsters in 2001. She is also the youngest major finalist since Maria Sharapova at 2004 Wimbledon. As per Opta, Gauff is the sixth American player in the Open Era to reach the final without dropping a single set after Andrea Jaeger, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Venus Williams.
Feats
Swiatek smashes these records post her French Open win
As per Opta, Swiatek has become the sixth player to win her first two finals at Roland Garros in the Open Era after Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Justine Henin, and Serena Williams. Swiatek has become the youngest woman to win multiple Grand Slams since Maria Sharapova in 2006. She is the fifth top seed to win the French Open in 25 years.
Do you know?
35 straight wins for Swiatek: Breaking down the tally
Swiatek won five matches in Qatar before winning six matches each in Indian Wells and Miami. She then won both her matches for Poland at the Billie Jean King Cup. She won four matches at Stuttgart Open, five in Rome, and now seven in Paris.