Iga Swiatek closer to breaking THIS Serena Williams record after Cinccinati Open win against Varvara Gracheva

If Iga Swiatek continues her fine form at the WTA Masters 1000 events, the Pole might break a record held by Serena Williams.

Iga Swiatek closer to breaking THIS Serena Williams record after Cinccinati Open win against Varvara Gracheva

Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek (via Imago)

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is enjoying her dominance on the tour in the 2024 season. She won her fourth French Open title recently and also claimed her maiden Olympic medal in Paris. Apart from shining at the Roland Garros and the Summer Games, Swiatek has also won four Masters 1000 titles this season. Now, playing at the Cincinnati Open, she stands a chance to eclipse Serena Williams.

Having already claimed 28 wins at the WTA 1000 tournaments so far this year, Swiatek stands a chance to go past Williams, who holds the record (36) for the most wins at Masters 1000 tournaments in a season. The Pole has already bettered her previous record of 27 which she achieved last year.

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If Iga Swiatek goes on to win the title in Cincinnati, she will have four more wins at the level. She is expected to play at the China Open where she will be defending her title. She might also play at the Wuhan Open, allowing her to cross Williams’ 36-win mark.

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Swiatek has already clinched titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, and Rome and she could win at least three more Masters 1000 titles in the year.

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Iga Swiatek gives a sneak peek into her winner’s mentality as she survives a scare against Varvara Gracheva at Cincinnati Masters
Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek survives a scare against Varvara Gracheva in Cincinnati

Iga Swiatek came to Cincinnati directly from Paris where she clinched her first Olympic medal. This change of surface was expected to trouble the World No. 1 and it did. The five-time Major champion was pitted against Varvara Gracheva in her first match at the Cincinnati Masters and the Frenchwoman created enough problems for Swiatek.

Iga Swiatek (3)
Iga Swiatek (Image via Imago)

Despite the Pole serving a bagel and taking a healthy lead (5-2) in the second set, Gracheva kept fighting and forced a tiebreaker. She eventually won it to force a decider. However, Swiatek got her act together in the third set and won it 6-2 to avoid an upset.

With this win, she set herself a third-round clash with Marta Kostyuk, who beat Lulu Sun in straight sets in the second round. The Pole holds a 2-0 lead against the Ukrainian in the head-to-head record and will hope to further extend the lead this week.

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