World No. 1 Iga Swiatek’s records continue to rise and she now proudly holds a record that can only be broken by the great Serena Williams.
Swiatek defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi in a manner the Polish star is accustomed to, winning 6-1 6-1 to advance to the third round of the Miami Open.
It was only the 100th match of Swiatek’s career at the WTA 1000 – an elite level event just below the four Grand Slams – and a stunning 81st victory. Serena Williams (87) is the only player to have more wins at this formative stage of her tennis career.
Notably, Swiatek now has a 71-0 record after winning the first set at WTA-1000 events, and she has won 67 of those matches in straight sets, highlighting her impressive Leading skills.
The aura she now brings to the tennis court has her opponents fearing the worst if she takes an early lead, while Swiatek relishes her dominance over her rivals.
During her pre-fight press conference in Miami, Swiatek played down talk of her dominance as she insisted she never looked too far ahead.
“I feel like we shouldn’t talk about what ifs. I’ll do it step by step as usual. I don’t need to like, go and already think about winning trophies because I haven’t even trained here,” she said.
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“I still have a lot of games to play, so we’ll see how it goes. Obviously, it will be a dream come true. It’s not an easy thing.
“Two years ago I felt like I had overachieved. So this time, I’m going to do everything as usual and I think that’s the best way to go.
“As far as the conditions here, it’s always difficult, wet and hot. But I remember two years ago I felt really comfortable on the surface, so I’ll see what my practice brings me.
“At the moment, I’m taking everything step by step. I don’t have any expectations because I know how difficult this game is. How difficult is it to handle at times?”
Swiatek is keen to downplay her status as the queen of women’s tennis, but tennis icon Martina Navratilova is adamant she will continue to be the player to be beaten for some time to come.
“Iga may not be the fastest player but she is the most complete player and that really shows on a slow court like this,” nine-time Wimbledon champion Navratilova told Sky Sports Tennis Zhong said.
“She’s a great player and the best front-runner we’ve had in the game since Serena Williams.
“Also, she can get better. Her serve can still improve, so be careful.”
Swiatek is a firm favorite to repeat as Miami Open champion after winning the Indian Wells trophy last week. Her next opponent is world number 31 Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic. Noskova).