Unstoppable Swiatek cruises past Gauff at WTA Finals to stretch winning streak against top-10 to 15
Iga Swiatek continues to drop jaws and rack up milestones as the WTA Finals heads into its final two days.
Iga Swiatek at the 2022 Ostrava Open
Image credit: AI/ Reuters/ Panoramic
Iga Swiatek continues to run the tables in 2022, and the Pole is two victories from closing the season with another jaw-dropping title run.
On Saturday in Fort Worth Swiatek dispatched Coco Gauff, 6-3, 6-0, reeling off the final 10 games to finish group play undefeated.
Her triumph is the latest in a season full of dominance that has left her elite foes scratching their heads and looking for ways to challenge her. She improves to 5-0 lifetime against 18-year-old Gauff, who finishes her WTA Finals debut without winning a match in singles or doubles.
Swiatek matches Justine Henin’s 15-match winning streak against top-10 opposition from 2007. She and the Belgian are now tied with the longest such winning streak this century (since 2000), as the 21-year-old improves to 67-8 on the season and prepares for a semi-final showdown with Aryna Sabalenka, the No.7 seed.
Swiatek has dropped just 13 games through her three round robin matches in Fort Worth, and she turned in her 22nd 6-0 set of the season to close out her victory in style.
Gauff and Pegula go winless in their debut
It was a rough week for the Americans, as Gauff and her partner Jessica Pegula joined forces on the doubles court and lost all three of their matches. Gauff and Pegula were drawn into separate groups in singles, and neither was able to pull out a victory.
The defeats should not dampen enthusiasm for each player. Pegula had a breakout season on tour, reaching three Grand Slam quarter-finals and claiming her first 1000-level title; Gauff made her way to her maiden major final at Roland-Garros before falling to Swiatek. The 18-year-old American also held the No 1 ranking in doubles while reaching a career-high singles ranking of No 4 in the world on October 24.
The pair won three team titles together and played the doubles final at Roland-Garros.
Semi-final lineup set at WTA Finals
The final four is set in Fort Worth after six days of round robin play.
- 3:30 PM: [5] M. Sakkari vs. [6] C. Garcia
- Not before 7 PM: [1] I. Swiatek vs. [7] A. Sabalenka
Swiatek holds a 4-1 edge over Sabalenka and has won their last four meetings, including a victory over the Belarusian in the US Open semi-finals, in three sets. Garcia holds a 2-0 edge over Sakkari, which includes a victory over the Greek in Cincinnati this summer.
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