Iga Swiatek vs Venus Williams: Decoding their 35 straight wins
What's the story
Women's singles tennis star Iga Swiatek recently bagged the 2022 French Open crown after beating Coco Gauff in straight sets. This was the world number one's second Grand Slam honor. The Polish star also equaled Venus Williams' record for the most consecutive match wins (35) this century. Venus achieved the same in 2000. We decode the run of both players.
Tally
35 straight wins for Swiatek: Breaking down the tally
Swiatek has won 35 straight matches, since her round of 16 loss at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. 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 seven in Paris.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Swiatek has been on beast mode this year and her performances have been telling. On her course to 35 straight wins, she surpassed Justin Henin (32) and Serena Williams (34). She could now steer clear of Venus as well and set a new record. To equal Venus' record is a massive achievement which no other player could this century. Swiatek deserves all the praise.
Titles
Swiatek has won six titles in 2022
In this run of 35 straight wins, Swiatek has won six successive titles. Swiatek started her dominating run of form by winning the Qatar Open. 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. She claimed the Italian Open and 2022 French Open next.
Venus
Venus' 35 straight wins in 2000
As per WTA, Venus' 2000 season saw her post 35 consecutive wins between Wimbledon and Linz. Venus captured five consecutive titles on the WTA Tour: Wimbledon, Stanford, San Diego, New Haven, and the US Open. She also won singles and doubles gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her winning run had started after a defeat to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
Davenport
Davenport ended Venus' run in 2000 in Linz final
Injuries had hampered Venus' start in 2000 and she took to the court only in April. During her run, she tallied five wins against then No. 1 Martina Hingis and No. 2 Lindsay Davenport, including three against the latter in finals (Wimbledon, Stanford, US Open). However, Davenport eventually ended Venus' winning streak, defeating the former 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the Linz final.
Swiatek stats
Career stats of Iga Swiatek in singles
Swiatek has a 21-2 record at Roland Garros, besides 12-4 at AO, 3-2 at Wimbledon, and 6-3 at US Open. Overall, her count in Slams is 42-11. Swiatek has won nine career titles to date. Titles won in 2022 - Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, and French Open. Titles won in 2021 - Adelaide and Rome. Titles won in 2020 - French Open.
Venus stats
Career stats of Venus in singles
The 41-year-old Venus has bagged 49 career titles to date in women's singles. As per WTA, she has an 815-265 win-loss record. At Slams, she has a win-loss record of 271-82 (AO 54-21, French Open 48-24, Wimbledon 90-18, US Open 79-19). She won seven Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon 5, US Open 2). She has been a runner-up on nine occasions at Slams.