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Iga Swiatek

With Little Hype or Attention, Iga Swiatek Wins 2022 U.S. Open

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

In a U.S. Open that started with the hype and pomp of the farewell to Serena Williams, it was the overlooked world No. 1 who was the last one standing.

Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1 player and winner of two French Open titles in the last three years, cemented her hold on the top of women’s tennis with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the U.S. Open women’s final. Swiatek becomes the first Polish player to win the U.S. Championships, achieving what 1937 U.S. women’s runner-up Jadwiga Jedrzejowska was not able to do.

Swiatek was immediately thrust into the top of women’s tennis upon the retirement of dominant No. 1 Ash Barty in March. She won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March which clinched the No. 2 ranking, but was placed at No. 1 after Barty asked to be taken off the WTA rankings after her retirement announcement. Swiatek won again at the Miami Open in the first “Poat-Barty” event and she went on to run through a 37-match win streak that included her second title at Roland Garros, where she beat Coco Gauff in the final.

She struggled a bit since winning in Paris, losing in the third round at Wimbledon as the top seed and then going only 4-3 in WTA Tour events after that leading into the U.S. Open, including only a 2-2 record on the U.S. summer hard court season.

However, despite being the top seed in New York, very little attention was paid to her, overshadowed by the hype surrounding the U.S. Open being the career finale for all-time great Serena Williams. Even after Williams lost in the third round, most of the attention then focused on American teenager Coco Gauff and then upon Jabeur, the popular trailblazing Arab woman, the first Muslim player to play in major finals.

Swiatek persisted and grinded, despite not playing the type of dominant tennis that she displayed earlier in the year in Indian Wells and Miami and on her favored clay courts in Europe.

Said Swiatek of her U.S. Open win, “It’s something that I wasn’t expecting for sure. It’s also like a confirmation for me that sky is the limit.”

Iga Swiatek

Centre Court Celebration Caps Eventful First Week of Wimbledon

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

As the author of the book “On This Day In Tennis History” (for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257421/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_S9RTTTF52XWTTVMJ0DP3 I monitor significant events and matches in tennis history and the first week of Wimbledon in 2022 featured a few significant moments that deserve documentation.

June 27

2022 – Hubert Hurkacz of Poland and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain become the first players in Wimbledon history to contest a 10-point tiebreak at 6-6 in the final set in their first round encounter. Davidovich emerges victorious over the 2021 semifinalist 7-6(4), 6-4, 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(10-8), despite blowing three match points leading 5-3, 40-0 in the third set, the first one on an ill-advised between-the-legs hot-dog “tweener” shot.  The 2022 edition of The Championships is the first to have this uniform way of determining winners in decisive sets along with the other four major championships. The tournament used to have players play out a final set until a winner was determined by a two-game margin, but after John Isner played matches that extended to 70-68 in the fifth set in 2010 in the first round against Nicolas Mahut and 26-24 in the fifth set in 2018 in the semifinals against Kevin Anderson, the All England Club decided to implement 10-point match tiebreakers, first at 12-12 in the final set and then, starting in 2022, at 6-6.

June 28

2022 – Playing her first singles match in a year, Serena Williams loses in the first round of Wimbledon to No. 115-ranked Harmony Tan 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7). Williams had not played a competitive singles match in 364 days since he was forced to retire in the first set to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the first round on Centre Court. Williams serves for the match a 6-5 in the final set, but is not able to close out the match. When asked in her post-match press conference if it was the final Wimbledon match of her career, the 23-time major singles champion said she “can’t answer” that question. “Who knows where I’ll pop up?” she says.

June 29

2022 – Locked in a decisive fifth-set 10-point match tiebreaker, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain is given a point penalty for ball abuse while facing match point and loses to Czech Jiri Vesely 6-3, 5-7, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (10-7) in the second round of Wimbledon. Davidovich Fokina slams a ball out of the court after losing a point that gave Vesely double match point at 9-7 and chair umpire Carlos Ramos issues a point penalty after receiving different code violations earlier in the match. Two-time champion Andy Murray suffers his earliest ever Wimbledon loss falling to John Isner 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 6-4 in the second round. Isner hits 36 aces and 82 winners.

July 1

2022 – John Isner breaks the all-time ace record in men’s tennis with his fifth ace in his 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3 third round loss to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. Isner, 37, breaks the record held by Ivo Karlovic, who served 13,728 aces in his career. Isner finishes the match with 24 aces to bring his total to 13,748 aces. “I’m actually very proud of that record,” Isner says after the match. “I wish I could have broken it in a win, but to have set the all-time aces record at Wimbledon I think is very special. It’s a credit to — in my mind — how professional I’ve been to keep myself healthy for such a long time, to keep myself on the court to give myself the opportunity to hit those aces. It is something I’m actually pretty proud of. I don’t pat myself on the back too much, but this one I think is pretty cool.”

July 2

2022 – World No. 1 Iga Swiatek sees her 37-match winning streak come to an end in a 6-4, 6-3 third round loss at Wimbledon to Alize Cornet. “I have no words right now, It reminds me of the time I beat Serena on the same court, eight years ago exactly. This court is a lucky charm for me,” Cornet said on-court after the win. In 2014, the Frenchwoman defeated then No. 1 Serena Williams to advance to her first career Round of 16 of the major event. Wimbledon is her record-equaling 62nd consecutive major tournament she has played.

2022 – In the men’s third round, in what Patrick McEnroe on ESPN calls “a circus atmosphere like no other,” Nick Kyrgios defeats No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(2) 6-4 6-3 7-6(7). The controversial match features Kyrgios constantly muttering and cursing to himself, Tsitsipas getting a code violation and near default for hitting a ball in frustration into the crowd and nearly hitting a fan, and Tsitsipas attempting to peg Kyrgios with several shots. “Yeah, it’s constant bullying, that’s what he does,” says Tsitsipas after the match to media of Kyrgios. “He bullies opponents. He was probably a bully at school himself. I don’t like bullies,” Tsitsipas told reporters after the match. I don’t like people that put other people down. He has some good traits in his character, as well. But he also has a very evil side to him, which if it’s exposed, it can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.”

July 3

2022 – Wimbledon stages regularly scheduled matches in its first middle Sunday session ever while also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of Centre Court with a parade of former champions. Eight-time champion Roger Federer, absent from The Championships with a knee injury, receives the biggest ovation from fans as he is the last former champion to be introduced. The first of the 26 former champions to be introduced is 90-year-old Angela Mortimer, the 1961 Wimbledon women’s singles champion, and is followed by such other legends as Billie Jean King, Rod Laver, Venus Williams, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Stefan Edberg among others.

Centre Court at Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek’s French Open Victory Further Showcases Her New Comfort As World No. 1

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

“She went from being elated to be No. 2 to ‘Oh my goodness’” said former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport on Tennis Channel of Iga Swiatek in March at the Miami Open when the Pole was surprisingly moved to the WTA top ranking after the shock retirement of Ash Barty of Australia.

Swiatek was fresh off winning the singles title at Indian Wells in a “Battle for the No. 2 ranking” against Maria Sakkari, but the following week, when Barty announced her sudden and immediate retirement, Swiatek, then 20 years old, was suddenly thrust into the top rung of women’s tennis, just days after she ascended to the No. 2 ranking.

“I have to think that it will be a bit overwhelming for her,” said Lindsay Davenport of the sudden adjustment to her status in the game as being the hunter to being the hunted.

It’s a natural and rationale expectation of a young player thrust into that situation suddently. However, Swiatek responded by seizing the No. 1 ranking perhaps not like anyone ever before. She capped this incredible streak of success in her new found perch by winning her 35th straight match by defeating 18-year-old Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the French Championships in Paris. Swiatek has won 17 straight matches since she was presented with the fact that would be the sudden world No. 1, including winning the title in Miami as well as Stuttgart and Rome. She hasn’t lost since February 16 when she lost in the second round of Dubai to another French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Her only losses for the year were to Danielle Collins in the semifinals of the Australian Open and to Barty in the semifinals of Adelaide.

It was her second title at Roland Garros after being in another sudden and transitional circumstance in the Fall of 2020 when she was ranked No. 54 in the world and was the unexpected singles winner in Paris when she defeated reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the final.

“It’s coming together, like a puzzle,” said Swiatek to NBC’s Maria Taylor of her rise and adjustment to be the top dog in women’s tennis.

Swiatek swatted 18 winners in the final, many from her lethal forehand which Mary Carillo on NBC described as “the biggest single shot in women’s tennis.”

“There really is no equal to the Iga Swiatek forehand on the women’s side,” said Cariilo, comparing the shot to the forehand of Steffi Graf from back in the day and, more recently, the Serena Williams serve.

Gauff, who has been heaped with praise and expectations since she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon as a qualifier in 2019 as a 15-year-old, was visibly upset after the loss, crying into her towel after the match was over and also becoming emotional in her post-match speech. However, reaching her first major final was a major accomplishment for the Delray Beach resident and filled her with belief that she can now break through and win a major singles title.

“Honestly, that I could do it,” said Gauff to NBC’s Taylor after the match when asked what she can take away from her performance. “For a while, I really believed that I couldn’t do it.”

Gauff won just as many games (four) in her first major singles final as one of her idols, Venus Williams, did in her first major final at the 1997 U.S. Open when at age 17, she lost to Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-0.

Iga Swiatek (photo by Peter Menzel via WikiCommons)

Iga Swiatek Wins 28th Straight Match With Second Italian Open Title

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Iga Swiatek defended her women’s title at the Italian Open by defeating Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 and, in the process, extended her amazing win streak to 28 matches.

Swiatek took over as world No. 1 by default with the retirement of the dominant Ash Barty in March and is now seen as just as dominant the Australian was. Swiatek, who was a surprise winner at the French Open in 2020 when she was ranked No. 54, is now the solid favorite to win at Roland Garros for a second time.

 “I already know that I did some great stuff this season, so I feel like I can just play freely,” said the 20-year-old Swiatek. “For sure the expectations around are higher, but I never had a problem to cut it off and not to think about it. Also I’m gaining experience at that.”

Swiatek has now won five straight titles during her win streak, including the “Sunshine Double” in the United States at Indian Wells and Miami.

“All these tournaments that I’ve won seem pretty surreal right now,” she said.

Jabeur was on a streak of her own with 11 consecutive wins entering the final after her Madrid Open title last week. However, Swiatek proved too powerful for the Tunisian.

“Iga is the No. 1 for a reason,” Jabeur said. “She’s really the leader here on tour. I personally have a lot to learn from her.”

The last player to win more consecutive matches was Justine Henin, who won 32 straight over 2007 and 2008. The all-time longest streak in the “Open Era” belongs to Martina Navratilova, who had a run of 74 straight wins in 1984.

Swiatek last lost in mid-February in Dubai to Jelena Ostapenko in a third-set tiebreaker. She has won 42 of the last 43 sets she’s played.

Iga Swiatek

Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek Show At Miami Open That Tennis Is In Good Hands With Next Generation

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

For all the anxiety in tennis about a post-Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena and Venus Williams world, the 2022 Miami Open proved that the sport will remain in good hands.

Both Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, age 18 and 20 respectively, dazzled crowds of over 20,000 daily fans over the weekend in Hard Rock Stadium in claiming the men’s and women’s titles respectively at one of the biggest tournaments in tennis.

Swiatek adjusted dramatically to being suddenly thrust into the world No. 1 ranking after the sudden retirement of Ash Barty at the start of the event with a one-sided 6-4, 6-0 victory over Naomi Osaka in the women’s final on Saturday. On Sunday, Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 to become the youngest man to win a singles title at the Miami Open and third youngest to ever win a Masters 1000 level tournament.

The Miami Open was one of the few big tournaments that did not feature any of the hallmark players of this last generation – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and the Williams sisters, but the buzz for the tournament did not subside. After the era of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors came Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras and after them came Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. For the women, after Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert came Steffi Graf and Monica Seles and the Williams sisters following that. Swiatek and Alcaraz may be the ones to the carry the torch in the next generation.

Swiatek was the surprise winner of the French Open in 2020, played in front a limited fans and in the non-traditional autumn date due to COVID-19. However, she came into her own in Miami, embracing the new pressure thrust upon her as the new world No. 1 and decisively cruised to the title, not losing the set and dominating four-time major champion Osaka in the final.

“She went from being elated to be No. 2 to ‘Oh my goodness,’” said Lindsay Davenport on Tennis Channel in the middle of the Miami Open of the sudden change from being “the hunter” to be “the hunted” in women’s pro tennis.

Combined with her win in Indian Wells two weeks earlier, Swiatek became only the fourth player to win the “Sunshine Double” of the two premier Spring U.S. hard court tournaments, joining Steff Graf, Kim Clijsters and Vika Azarenka.

“I am still hungry. I want to win very much,” said Swiatek to Tennis Channel of her mind-set and her avoiding complacency after clinching the No. 1 ranking. “I knew I couldn’t have focused on rankings, but to focus on tennis.”

The emergence of Alcaraz created the most excitement with his “bone-crushing” groundstrokes and Nadal-like fight and grit. Any time a young teenager starts to make their mark in tennis, it draws a lot of buzz and Alcaraz caught the attention of sports fans. Last year at the U.S. Open, he won a dramatic fifth-set tiebreaker decision of world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas to become the youngest man to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals. In 2022, entering Miami, he lost only two matches, losing to top 10 star Matteo Berrettini in a fifth-set tiebreaker at the Australian Open and in a topsy-turvy semifinal in Indian Wells to Nadal. He won his first two singles titles in his a career at the ATP 250 event in Umag in 2021 and the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janiero earlier this year..

“He’s the best at his age since Nadal. I don’t think there is any question about that,” said Jim Courier on Tennis Channel.

Alcaraz became the third youngest man to win a Masters 1000 title with his Miami title, behind Michael Chang and Nadal. He also did something that Nadal had never done, which is win in Miami, one of the few career titles that Nadal had never won, him coming closest exactly 17 years to the day of the Alcaraz win when he lost to Roger Federer from two-sets-to-love ahead.

“He’s won a 250, he’s won a 500, now he’s won a 1000, What’s next gang?” Courier asked Tennis Channel co-hosts Brett Haber and Navratilova, hinting that he is likely on the verge of breaking through and winning his first major singles title.

“He’s one of the top four people you have to talk about in majors going forward,” said Navratilova, pointing out that only Nadal, Djokovic and world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev would be favored over him to win majors the rest of the year as it stands now.

Said Alcaraz to Tennis Channel shortly after his win on what is next,” Hopefully, I will win a Grand Slam this year, but it is tough.”

Paris, Rome and Now Indian Wells…. Iga Swiatek Bags Another Big Title

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by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Iga Swiatek from Poland, who burst onto the tennis scene with her remarkable run to the French Open title in the quirky Autumn version in 2020, is fast proving she is ready to embark on a Hall of Fame career.

The 20-year-old from Warsaw added the Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells, California, regarded as one of the biggest titles in tennis outside of the four major championships, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-4, 6-1 in the final. Last year, Swiatek claimed the crown at the Italian Championships in Rome, regarded on the same prestigious level as Indian Wells.

She has played five WTA singles finals in her short career, winning four. If you include her career on the “minor league” ITF World Tennis Tour, she has won 11 of 12 singles finals.

To boot, her Indian Wells title moved her to the No. 2 WTA singles ranking, equaling the highest ranking ever by a player from Poland, equaling that of former Wimbledon finalist Aga Radwanska.

“It’s hard to play in big matches and remain calm but she has it instinctually,” said former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport on Tennis Channel of the poise of Swiatek, noting that the one match this year she regrets is a semifinal loss at the Australian Open to Danielle Collins.

Despite the final-round loss, the tournament for Sakkari was a success as she also moved to a career-high ranking of No. 3.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek

Will Iga Swiatek Dominate Clay Tournaments in Women’s Tennis?

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by Bob Stockton

@BobStockton10

Throughout the Open era, few players have dominated on clay like Rafael Nadal. The 35-year-old has over 30 clay titles to his name. In the women’s game, Simona Halep has flourished on clay, winning the French Open in 2018 and the Mutua Madrid Open in 2016 and 2017. However, Iga Swiatek’s rise to prominence promises Nadal-like dominance on clay within the women’s game. So, can the 20-year-old assert her authority on the famous red surface throughout the next decade and beyond? 

Already a Grand Slam Champion, but Is There More to Come? 

It speaks volumes about Swiatek’s rise to the pinnacle that she lifted her first Grand Slam title just two years after turning professional. Now, she has the chance to fill the void in women’s tennis and step up as a clay-court specialist. However, she’ll also hope to become a multi-surface champion following her 2020 French Open success. While her loss to Maria Sakkari in the Roland Garros quarterfinals thwarted her title defense in Paris, the 20-year-old could turn that dream into a reality at the 2021 US Open, which she is currently priced at +1400 to win in the tennis betting, although there are numerous contenders currently ranked above her.

Regarding Swiatek’s potential to dominate on clay, en route to winning the French Open for the first time in 2020, she didn’t drop a single set. Not only that, but the Polish right-hander also beat the 2018 champion, Halep, losing just three games across the two-set match. The 20-year-old continued her dominance through to the final, where she beat Sofia Kenin in straight sets. In triumphing at Roland Garros, Swiatek became the youngest French Open champion since 1992 and the first Polish player to win a Grand Slam singles title.  

Competition from Barty and Halep 

Few can argue that Swiatek doesn’t have a ruthless streak on clay. Because of that, comparisons with Nadal have become more common. According to GiveMeSport, the 20-year-old stands out from her rivals through her combination of spin and speed, while she also doesn’t feel the pressure of being a Grand Slam winner. Whether or not Swiatek has the consistency and longevity to match Nadal’s current 13 French Open triumphs remains unclear, especially as she’ll face continued competition from Ashleigh Barty and Halep. 

Between 2008 and 2020, only two players won multiple French Open titles. Following Justine Henin’s dominance during the mid-2000s, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams are the only competitors to win two Roland Garros titles, showcasing how challenging it is to dominate on clay in the women’s game. While Swiatek will aspire to break the trend, there have been six different French Open winners in as many years. Barty, who dominated in 2019, uses her athleticism to flourish on clay, but even she couldn’t secure back-to-back French Open titles. 

The Potential to Become a Clay Specialist 

The likes of Barty and Halep are top-level players on clay, but there are disputes over whether the pair are natural red-surface talents. Swiatek, however, looks to be a cut above the rest. The 20-year-old has the talent to secure multiple French Open titles, but that alone isn’t enough. With further development and a sustained focus on greatness, she can undoubtedly challenge Chris Evert’s tally of seven Roland Garros triumphs.

Iga Swiatek