Iga Świątek

Świątek in 2018

Świątek began competing on the ITF Women's Circuit in 2016 and played on the circuit through the end of 2018. She won all seven ITF singles finals she reached, ranging from the first four at the $10K to $15K level to one at the $25k level followed up by two at the $60K level. Her first three titles came at 15 years old.[18] The fourth was in February 2018 in her first tournament back from a seven-month layoff due to injury.[12] After a $25k title in April, Świątek moved up to higher-level ITF events later that month. Following her junior Wimbledon title in July, she skipped the junior US Open to stay in Europe. During the two weeks of the US Open, she won back-to-back $60k titles at the NEK Ladies Open in Hungary and the Montreux Ladies Open in Switzerland.[18] During the second event, she defeated top seed and world No. 120 Mariana Duque-Mariño.[19][20] These were Świątek's last two ITF tournaments of the year.[18] With these two titles, Świątek entered the top 200 for the first time at the age of 17, rising from No. 298 to No. 180 in those two weeks.[21]

Świątek at the 2019 Prague Open

Despite never playing on the WTA Tour before 2019, Świątek was able to compete in only tour-level events throughout the year. After failing to qualify at the Auckland Open, she qualified for her first major main draw at the Australian Open. She then defeated No. 82 Ana Bogdan, in three sets, in her debut match to reach the second round. At her next three tournaments, she was also failed to qualify at the Hungarian Ladies Open, but not either of the Premier Mandatory events in March.[19]

Świątek made her first WTA breakthrough at the Ladies Open Lugano in April. With her first direct acceptance into a main draw, she made her first WTA final. During the event, she upset No. 3 seed Viktória Kužmová in the second round for her first top 50 victory.[22] She ultimately finished runner-up to Polona Hercog in three sets.[23] Moreover, a precise cross-court forehand drop shot she hit against Kristýna Plíšková in the semifinal was voted the 2019 WTA Shot of the Year.[24] With the runner-up, she also made her debut in the top 100 while still 17 years old.[25] Świątek closed out her clay court season with a fourth round appearance at the French Open in her second major.[19] She upset No. 16 Wang Qiang in the second round for her first top 20 victory before losing to defending champion Simona Halep.[26][27]

Świątek could not repeat her French Open success at the remaining Grand Slam events of the year, losing her opening match at Wimbledon and in the second round at the US Open.[19] Her best result in the second half of the season was a third round appearance at the Canadian Open. During the event, she upset No. 18, Caroline Wozniacki, before losing to No. 2, Naomi Osaka.[19][28] With this result, she entered the top 50 for the first time a week later.[21] She missed the rest of the season after the US Open to undergo foot surgery and finished the year at No. 61 in the world.[2][21]

Świątek made her return to the WTA Tour at the Australian Open. She matched her best result at a Grand Slam tournament with another fourth-round appearance, this time highlighted by a victory over No. 20, Donna Vekić.[2][29] She defeated Vekić again at the Qatar Open, her last match win before the WTA Tour was shut down for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] Świątek continued her Grand Slam success once the tour resumed. She reached the third round at the US Open, losing to eventual runner-up Victoria Azarenka.[30]

Entering the rescheduled French Open in September, Świątek was ranked No. 54 in the world. Nonetheless, she won the singles event for her maiden WTA title. During the tournament, she defeated 2019 runner-up and world No. 19, Markéta Vondroušová, in the opening round.[19][31] Her biggest upset was a victory in the fourth round over top seed and world No. 2, Simona Halep, who was on a 17-match win streak and was also the heavy favourite to win the title.[32][33] She only lost three games against Halep after winning just one game against her in the same round of the French Open the previous year.[32] Świątek defeated world No. 6, Sofia Kenin, in the final to become the first Polish[lower-alpha 1] player to win a Grand Slam singles title and the lowest-ranked French Open champion in the history of the WTA rankings. She also became the youngest singles champion at the tournament since Rafael Nadal in 2005 and the youngest women's singles winner since Monica Seles in 1992. She won the title without dropping a set or more than five games to any opponent, and the 28 games she lost in total were tied for the second-fewest among French Open singles champions in the Open Era behind only the 20 games Steffi Graf lost in 1988. With the title, Świątek rose to No. 17 in the world. She also played the doubles event, partnering with Nicole Melichar for the first time. The pair reached the semifinals, and also did not drop a set until their last match.[34][35][36][37]

Świątek at the 2021 French Open

At the Australian Open, Świątek was seeded 15th and recorded wins over Arantxa Rus, Camila Giorgi and Fiona Ferro. She reached the fourth round where she lost to Simona Halep, in three sets.[38] At Adelaide, she won her first WTA Tour title without dropping a set in the whole tournament. She defeated Belinda Bencic in the final, in straight sets.[39] As a result, she entered the top 15 for the first time in her career, in March 2021.

Seeded 15th, Świątek won her first career WTA 1000-title at the Italian Open, defeating former champion Karolína Plíšková in just 46 minutes without the loss of a single game. She advanced to the final after defeating two time champion and world No. 5, Elina Svitolina, and the second best-ranked teenager Coco Gauff on the same day, as well as saving match points in her third-round match against Barbora Krejčíková.[40] Świątek became the third player to win a title after saving match point en route in 2021, alongside Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open and Ashleigh Barty in Miami. She also became the fourth teenager to win a WTA 1000 event.[41][42] This successful run to her third career title moved her into the top 10 in the singles rankings on 17 May 2021, as world No. 9.[43]

At the French Open, Świątek was seeded at No. 8. She opened her title defense winning against Kaja Juvan in the first round, and then defeated Rebecca Peterson, Anett Kontaveit and Marta Kostyuk. She won 22 straight sets at the French Open but then lost in the quarterfinals to Maria Sakkari. In doubles, seeded 14th with Bethanie Mattek-Sands as a pair, playing just their third event together, they reached the final[44] where they were defeated by Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková in straight sets. As a result, Świątek reached the top 50 at a career-high ranking of No. 42 in doubles for the first time in her career.

She started her grass-court season at the Eastbourne International where she was seeded at No. 4. After defeating Heather Watson, she lost to Daria Kasatkina in the second round. As the seventh seed at Wimbledon, Świątek defeated Hsieh Su-wei, Vera Zvonareva, and Irina-Camelia Begu, all in straight sets. In the fourth round, she lost to Ons Jabeur, in three sets.

With her win over Anett Kontaveit in the third round of the US Open, she became the only player to have reached the second week of all four Grand Slam championships in the 2021 season.[45]

She qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.[46]

Świątek started her season at the Adelaide International in January, seeded fifth. After wins against Daria Saville, Leylah Fernandez, and Victoria Azarenka, Świątek lost to Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals.[47] She was scheduled to play at the Sydney International, seeded sixth, and her first match was scheduled to be against Emma Raducanu,[48] but she pulled out of the tournament due to a rib injury.[49]

Świątek entered into the Australian Open, where she was seeded seventh. She defeated qualifier Harriet Dart in the first round, Rebecca Peterson in the second round and Daria Kasatkina in the third round. All wins were in straight sets.[50][51][52] She reached her first Australian Open quarterfinal after defeating Sorana Cîrstea in the fourth round.[53] As of January 2022, Świątek has reached the second week of a Grand Slam at six consecutive majors, beginning with her 2020 French Open title, setting a record for the longest streak of second-week progressions.[54] In the quarterfinal she defeated Kaia Kanepi in a match at three hours and one minute before losing to Danielle Collins in the semifinal the following day.[55][56]

In February, Świątek entered into the Qatar Open, where she was seeded seventh. She defeated Viktorija Golubic and Daria Kasatkina in the second and third rounds, respectively. In the quarterfinals, she defeated top seeded Aryna Sabalenka before advancing to the semifinals where she played against Maria Sakkari, winning in straight sets. In the final, she won against fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit, losing only two games, to claim her second WTA 1000 championship title.[57]

At Indian Wells, Świątek reached her third WTA 1000 final, where, as the third seed, she defeated Anhelina Kalinina, Clara Tauson and Angelique Kerber in three sets, and Madison Keys and Simona Halep, in straight sets. She defeated sixth seed Maria Sakkari, in straight sets, to win her fifth title. With the back-to-back Masters wins, Świątek reached a career-high ranking of world No. 2.[58]

The following week, Świątek was seeded second at the Miami Open. Due to the retirement of reigning world No. 1, Ashleigh Barty, on 23 March, Świątek clinched the world No. 1 singles ranking after her second-round victory over Viktorija Golubic. The new ranking was applied on 4 April, after Barty was officially removed from the rankings. Świątek is the only Polish tennis player, male or female, to have ever held the number 1 ranking in singles, and the second Polish tennis player after Łukasz Kubot to hold a number-one ranking in singles or doubles.[59][60] She then advanced to the final without dropping a set, recording victories over Madison Brengle, 14th seed Coco Gauff, 28th seed Petra Kvitová, and 16th seed Jessica Pegula. She beat Naomi Osaka in the final, becoming the fourth as well as the youngest woman (11th player overall) to complete the Sunshine Double and also the 1st woman to win the first three WTA 1000 events of the year.[61]

In April, Świątek participated at Stuttgart Open as the top seed after withdrawing from Charleston Open for a short time rest. She began by defeating Eva Lys and Emma Raducanu.[62] In the semifinal, Świątek lost the first set in a tiebreak against Liudmila Samsonova but came back to win the next two sets. It was a 3 hours and 3 minutes match that not only ended up being the longest of her career then, but ended her 28-set winning streak before reaching her fourth final of the season. In the final she played against the third seed Aryna Sabalenka, winning in straight sets and claiming her fourth consecutive WTA title.[63] However, in 27 April 2022, it was announced that Świątek pulled out of the Madrid Open due to her right shoulder injury. She said she will be taking a break to treat her arm, and will also be preparing for the upcoming Italian Open in Rome and French Open in Paris.[64] After pulling out of Madrid, Świątek spent some time for intense training at Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.[65]

At the Italian Open, as the defending champion, she reached yet another WTA 1000 final, her fourth for the season, defeating Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Victoria Azarenka, Bianca Andreescu and Aryna Sabalenka.[66] She also became the seventh player to reach two finals in Rome before turning 21.[67] In the final, she beat Ons Jabeur in straight sets to claim her fifth consecutive WTA Tour title.[68] She finished with a 28-match winning streak.[69]

As world No. 1 entering the French Open, Świątek defeated Lesia Tsurenko, Alison Riske, and Danka Kovinić, all in straight sets. In the fourth round she defeated Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen in three sets, losing the first set despite having five set points and leads in both the set and the tiebreak.[70] Świątek made the semifinals defeating Jessica Pegula.[71][72][73] She went one step further to reach the final by defeating Daria Kasatkina.[74] In the final, Świątek conquered Coco Gauff and clinched her second French Open title, losing one set en route. She became only the 10th woman to win multiple French Open singles titles in the Open era. Having just turned 21, Świątek was the fourth youngest player to triumph more than once in Paris after Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, and Chris Evert who were younger.[75][76] She finished the tournament with a 35-match winning streak, matching the longest unbeaten streak since Venus Williams in 2000 and becoming the 8th woman in the Open Era with 35 or more wins in a row.[77][78][79][80]

At Wimbledon, Świątek won her first and second round matches before losing to Alizé Cornet in straight sets in round three. This ended her 37 match win streak, the longest such streak in the 21st century.[81][82]

At the Poland Open, she defeated compatriot Magdalena Fręch in the first round before winning against Gabriela Lee in the second round. In the quarterfinals she was upset in three sets by the fifth seed Caroline Garcia who went on to win the title. The defeat ended her 18-match winning streak on clay.[83]

Leading up to the US Open during the North American summer, Świątek early exited at Toronto and Cincinnati. She lost the third round to Beatriz Haddad Maia and Madison Keys, respectively. Entering the US Open, Świątek defeated Jasmine Paolini, the former champion Sloane Stephens, and Lauren Davis in a row. She reached the quarterfinals for the first time at this Major and the third of the season defeating Jule Niemeier to become the first Polish woman to reach this level at this Grand Slam.[84] Afterwards, she defeated eighth seed Jessica Pegula to reach the semifinals for the first time in Flushing Meadows, followed by a defeat of 6th seed Aryna Sabalenka and a straight-sets victory in the final over Ons Jabeur.[85] She is the first Polish woman to win the US Open[86] bringing her to a total of three major titles.

At Ostrava Open, she reached the final after defeating Ajla Tomljanović, Caty McNally and Ekaterina Alexandrova on the way. The win over Alexandrova was her 60th win of the season. In the final, she played the longest match of her career so far lasting 3 hours and 16 minutes against Barbora Krejčíková which she lost in three sets. The defeat also ended her ten consecutive WTA Tour finals win streak.[87] It marked the first loss of the final in 2022 and the second one of her career.

Subsequently, Świątek played at San Diego Open, defeating Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and the qualifier Donna Vekić in the final, which made it her eighth title of the season. Świątek became the first player since Serena Williams to claim the most titles, to win the most matches (64) and to achieve the most 'bagels' in a year (21). Williams won 11 titles, 75 matches, and achieved 25 bagels in 2013.[88]

Świątek (left) and Kaja Juvan, the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics gold medallists in girls' doubles

Świątek represented Poland at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals for 14-and-under girls twice in 2014 and 2015. She won all of her matches in 2014 to lead Poland to a ninth-place finish out of 16 teams. The following year, she helped Poland go undefeated in the round robin stage to reach the semifinals.[9][10] Świątek moved up to the 16-and-under Junior Fed Cup in 2016, where she played alongside Maja Chwalińska and Stefania Rogozińska-Dzik. Poland won the title, defeating the United States 2–1 in the final. Świątek won both of her rubbers in the final tie, defeating Amanda Anisimova in singles before partnering with Chwalińska to defeat Caty McNally and Claire Liu in the decisive doubles rubber.[89] The last event of Świątek's junior career was the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games. Although she lost in the quarterfinals in singles to Clara Burel,[90] she partnered with Slovenian Kaja Juvan to win the gold medal in doubles. In the final they defeated Naito and Sato, who were also Świątek's opponents in the French Open doubles final earlier in the year.[15][91]

Świątek made her senior Billie Jean King Cup debut in 2018 when Poland was in Europe/Africa Zone Group I.[lower-alpha 2] To advance out of this group, Poland needed to win their round-robin group, a play-off tie against one of the other round robin group winners, and then another play-off tie as part of the separate World Group II Play-off round. They did not win their round-robin group in 2018 or 2019. Świątek won her only singles match in 2018. While she only won one of her three singles matches in 2019, she won both of her doubles rubbers while partnering with Alicja Rosolska. The following year, the format was changed so that Poland only needed to finish in the top two out of three teams in their round-robin group to reach the promotional play-off. Nonetheless, they won their group and defeated Sweden 2–0 in the play-off to advance to the separate Play-off round. Świątek won all three of her singles matches in the 2020 Europe/Africa Zone Group I round. Overall, Świątek has a 7–3 record at the Fed Cup, comprising 5–2 in singles and 2–1 in doubles.[92]

On 10 October 2021, Świątek donated $50,000 of her prize money in support of World Mental Health Day, after progressing to the last 16 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. "I would say in sports, for me, it was always important to use that kind of help because I always thought that in my mental toughness there is some strength that I can use on court and I can also develop in that manner," she said. After winning in at the French Open in 2020, Świątek revealed that using her sports psychologist (Daria Abramowicz) had helped her get over the line. "It's just good to stay open-minded. If you need that kind of help, then go for it. If you're up to it and if you're open-minded, I think it helps a lot," Świątek added.[126]

In her runner-up speech after losing the final to Barbora Krejčíková on AGEL's Ostrava Open on 9 October 2022, Świątek announced she will donate all of her prize money (€58,032) won in the tournament to Polish non-profit organizations and foundations to celebrate World Mental Health Day. "This is the most difficult moment of this tournament for me. I do not know what to say. Thank you so much. Whether I win or not, I am fulfilling my dreams, and you with me. I wish I won cause I would be able to donate more but I would like to announce that I will donate my prize money to non-profit organisations in Poland on Monday, which is World Mental Health Day. I hope this money can help a lot of people and make some change".[127]

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Świątek has often worn ribbons or other accessories in Ukrainian colors, and on several occasions has publicly declared her support for Ukraine in her winner speeches.[128][129][130][131]

On 23 July 2022, Świątek hosted a charity tennis event in Kraków, Poland to raise funds for children and teenagers impacted by the war in Ukraine. The one-day event featured a mixed doubles exhibition match and a set of singles between Świątek and Agnieszka Radwańska. Ukraine football great Andriy Shevchenko was a special guest. Elina Svitolina of Ukraine served as umpire for the event. Świątek stated, "I hope that we can see each other in large numbers in TAURON Arena Krakow and in front of the television to show the strength of sport when it unites us in helping and gives us at least a little joy."[132] Swiatek later announced on Twitter that the event has raised over 2,5 mln złoty (over €500,000), which would be spread between United 24, Elina Svitolina Foundation and UNICEF Poland.[133]

On 10 August, Świątek has been announced as the part of line up for "Tennis Plays for Peace" exhibition, which took place on August 24 with other numerous current and former tennis stars like Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, John McEnroe, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Maria Sakkari and many others, 100% of the proceeds going to GlobalGiving, the international non-profit identified by Tennis Plays for Peace.[134][135]