Iga Swiatek continues to set records, and this time, she has matched Victoria Azarenka and Martina Hingis at the 2023 US Open, only surpassed by Serena Williams.
The Polish sensation has been dominating the WTA Tour since the retirement of Ashleigh Barty that year. After an incredible 2022 season, she has faced strong competition this year from players like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
Nevertheless, Swiatek remains a dominant force in most of her matches and retains her position as the World No. 1.
Swiatek’s dominance over her opponents has translated into an impressive number of bagel sets, and she has now secured her eighth 6-0 set of the year in Grand Slams, equaling the records set by Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and Martina Hingis in 2001.
So far, she is only surpassed by Serena Williams’ incredible 13 bagels in Grand Slams in 2013.
At the Australian Open, Swiatek notched her first bagel against Cristina Bucsa (6-0, 6-1). In the French Open, where she emerged as the champion, she secured another bagel against Bucsa (6-4, 6-0), followed by one against Claire Liu (6-4, 6-0) and an astounding double bagel against China’s Wang Xinyu (6-0, 6-0)
During Wimbledon, she added one more against Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-2, 6-0). Now, at the US Open, she has recorded bagels against Rebecca Peterson (6-0, 6-1) and Kaja Juvan (6-0, 6-1).
The possibility of matching or surpassing Serena Williams is a distant one since, in the best-case scenario, Swiatek would play four more Grand Slam matches this year, assuming she reaches the final.
Nonetheless, the Polish star remains focused on advancing round by round to defend her title from the previous year and maintain her World No. 1 ranking.
Aryna Sabalenka is closely trailing her, with a significant chance of claiming the top spot in the rankings for the first time in her career. Swiatek will face World No. 21 Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round.
Ostapenko has proven to be a tough opponent for Swiatek, having won all three of their previous encounters, two on hardcourts and one on grass.