Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak on the Hologic WTA Tour hard courts with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final. It was Swiatek’s 17th straight win and her third straight title.
On Monday, Swiatek will officially become world No. 1 for the first time in her career. She moves up to that position after her comfortable 1 hour 17 minute win.
“I just feel very satisfied and fulfilled and also proud of myself,” said Swiatek in her press conference after the game. “I feel like I need to celebrate because I don’t know how long I can keep up with this show.”
Read more: We hope for more showdowns between Swiatek and Osaka
sunshine double complete: Swiatek also joins an exclusive club by becoming only the fourth woman to win the Sunshine Double – titles at WTA 1000 Indian Wells and Miami in the same season.
The others are Stefanie Graf (1994 and 1996), Kim Clijsters (2005) and Victoria Azarenka (2016), all former No. 1 players. Swiatek, 20, is the youngest woman to have achieved this feat.
“I feel quite privileged to be one of those players because I wouldn’t have dreamed of it a few years ago,” said Swiatek. “I knew it would be difficult to play those two tournaments back-to-back. In the end I realized it was just another game and I took it one step at a time.”
Miami Final Highlights: Swiatek defeats Osaka to win 17th straight game
2022 Miami
WTA 1000 owners: Swiatek’s career-best winning streak continues, with all of her last 17 wins coming in the first three WTA 1000 events of the season.
Swiatek won titles at WTA 1000 Doha, Indian Wells and now Miami, joining Serena Williams (2013 – Miami, Madrid, Rome, Toronto) and Caroline Wozniacki (2010 – Montréal, Tokyo, Beijing) as the only player to have three or more titles won consecutive WTA 1000 titles in a single season.
But Swiatek stands alone, becoming the first player to win the first three WTA 1000 tournaments in a season. It was her fourth WTA 1000 title of her career and sixth singles title overall.
Swiatek is the first player to win 17 straight games on hard courts in a single calendar year since Williams won 20 straight games between the Australian Open and Toronto in 2015.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself that I can keep going and I really don’t need to feel 100 per cent on points to win games against great players,” Swiatek said. “I can trust myself a little bit more now. I’ve really used this streak to have more confidence and also the ranking.”
Game moments: A tricky 10-minute game began, with Osaka saving two break points and enduring seven deuces before holding. A handful of close games ensued before Swiatek claimed the first break of the day with a backhand crosscourt winner to take a 3-2 lead.
That should be the defining moment. Swiatek marched ahead by a set, despite Osaka’s bold return tactic from the depths of the pitch. Swiatek kept the momentum going into the second set, immediately breaking Osaka with her own aggressive returns.
All in all, Swiatek reeled off the game’s final seven games to extend her stunning winning streak. Never facing a break point, Swiatek prevailed by exactly two-thirds of Osaka’s second serve points (20 to 30).
“Playing Naomi in a final was pretty exciting and I knew the world would be watching because it’s a beautiful game to watch,” said Swiatek. “I wanted to play my best tennis so that people are really happy. But on the other hand, it’s really satisfying to see that I can play so well against a player like that.”