Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek has taken the tennis world by storm in 2022.
After inheriting the top ranking following Ash Barty’s shock retirement, the Polish star has only gone from strength to strength.
Her rise to the top of tennis has coincided with an incredible winning streak that has rarely been seen in the 21st century.
Swiatek won her 34th straight match at the French Open quarter-finals on June 2 with her last loss now dating back to February 16 when she was beaten by Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai.
As the 21-year-old eyes her second Grand Slam title, her winning streak is turning plenty of heads and getting close to challenging the best runs from the past.
How does Swiatek’s unbeaten run compare to others in tennis history?
Swiatek still has a few more matches to win to earn a spot amongst the best winning streaks in women’s tennis.
Martina Navratilova holds the current record having gone 74 matches unbeaten in 1984.
Steffi Graf strung together the next best run in 1989-90 when she won 66 straight matches.
Both Navratilova and Graf managed to pull off numerous impressive unbeaten runs during their decorated careers.
Should Swiatek win the French Open and take her winning streak to 35, she will go within six matches of a spot in the current top 10.
Longest WTA unbeaten runs
| Player | Consecutive wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Martina Navratilova | 74 | 1984 |
| Steffi Graf | 66 | 1989-90 |
| Martina Navratilova | 58 | 1986-87 |
| Margaret Court | 57 | 1972 |
| Chris Evert | 55 | 1974 |
| Martina Navratilova | 54 | 1983-84 |
| Steffi Graf | 46 | 1988 |
| Steffi Graf | 45 | 1987 |
| Chris Evert | 41 | 1975-76 |
| Martina Navratilova | 41 | 1982 |
How does Swiatek’s winning streak compare to Serena and Venus Williams?
While Swiatek still has some way to go to match the best winning streaks in history, she does have two stars in her sights.
After winning her 33rd straight match, the Polish youngster surpassed Justine Henin to claim the third-best unbeaten run so far this century.
Now only just ahead of Swiatek are American superstars Serena and Venus Williams.
Should Swiatek win the French Open, she will surpass Serena’s record of 34 straight wins from 2013 and match Venus’ 35-match run back in 2000.
One further victory beyond that would then hand Swiatek the record for the longest WTA winning streak in the 21st century.
Not bad for someone born in 2001.
