Iga Swiatek joins Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka in elite list with her 15 match winning streak


Iga Swiatek joins Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka in elite list with her 15 match winning streak

Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Serena Williams

Newly crowned Wolrd No.1 Iga Swiatek continued her dominant run at the 2022 Miami Open with a straight-set win over 2-time Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals with the scoreline 6-3, 6-3. With this Swiatek extended her unbeaten run to 15 matches and is just 2 wins away from claiming the ‘Sunshine Double’ as well as her 3rd consecutive title of the year.

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Her unbeaten streak has secured her name in the company of elites such as Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka, and Serena Williams. The Pole is currently 6th on the list for the longest winning streak on the WTA tour and a title triumph can propel her to joint 4th place along with Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu. Swiatek is a long way off the top with Serena leading it with an astonishing 34 wins. But with the clay-court season beginning next month, the 20-year-old has a shot at moving up the list.

Over the past few months, Swiatek has been in a league of her own. She started the season with a semi-final finish at the WTA Adelaide International and Australian Open, before a rare early exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships. But since then, Swiatek has been impeccable with 15 wins on the trot and two titles to her name. Now the 20-year-old is just 2 wins away from becoming just the 4th woman to claim the Sunshine Double, the other being Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, and Azarenka.

Iga Swiatek to take on Jessica Pegula in the semis

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek

Swiatek is closing in on adding another silverware this year. She will now square off against home favorite, Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals in Miami. Pegula breezed through her first two matches with straight-set wins before receiving free passes to the semis after her opponents in the next rounds, Paula Badosa and Anhelina Kalinina, both retired mid-way through the match.

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Pegula emerged victorious in their only previous meeting so far, which was at the WTA Washington back in 2019. But the American is set to face a different caliber player as Swiatek has had a hard court renaissance of sorts. Swiatek has never lost a match after the round-of-16 stage at WTA 1000 events and she will be keen to maintain this record and extend her unbeaten run.

Also read: ‘She just loves Miami’- Nick Kyrgios enjoying time with girlfriend Costeen Hatzi ahead of the Men’s Doubles semifinals at the Miami Open