MY ACCOUNT
Iga Swiatek said it was “special” to have produced a longer winning run than Serena Williams and ominously vowed she can take her game to another level after triumphing at the French Open.
The world number one outclassed Coco Gauff on Court Philippe-Chatrier to win her second grand slam title, beating the teenager 6-1 6-3.
Swiatek’s victory was her 35th in a row, one more than Williams’ best winning streak from 2013, and the Pole is the first player to prevail in nine WTA Tour finals in a row.
Venus Williams is the only other woman since the start of 2000 to have reeled off 35 consecutive victories, while Swiatek and Serena Williams are the only women in the same period to have won six titles in the first six months of a year.
Swiatek expressed her pride at having gone one better than superstar Serena.
She said: “It may seem pretty weird, but having that 35th win and kind of doing something more than Serena did, it’s something special.
“Because I always wanted to have some kind of a record. In tennis it’s pretty hard after Serena’s career. So that really hit me.
“Obviously winning a grand slam too, but this one was pretty special because I felt like I’ve done something that nobody has ever done, and maybe it’s gonna be even more. This one was special.”
The two-time French Open champion added: “Before the match, before the tournament, I was like, ‘Okay, is it going to be even possible to beat Serena’s result?’.
“I realised that I would have to be in a final. I was, like, ‘Ah, we will see how the first rounds are going to go’. I didn’t even think about that before. But right now I feel like the streak is more important. I kind of confirmed my good shape.”
Swiatek has been on another level to her rivals this year but says there is room for improvement.
“For sure,” she said. “There is always something to improve, honestly. I’m still not a complete player. Especially, I feel like even on the net I could be more solid.
“This is something that Coco actually has, because I think she started working on that much, much earlier than me. There are many things. I’m not going to tell you, because it may sound like I’m concerned about some stuff.”
