Although the WTA tour paused for a week after the conclusion of the spring hard-court season in the United States, Iga Swiatek still achieved a new milestone.
The Pole starts her 99th week at the top of the women’s rankings, overtaking three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport in the Top 10 list for the most weeks at no. 1 among women’s players.
Last December, Swiatek became just the 10th woman to tally 80 or more weeks for the top spot, in a list continuing iconic names like Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Serena Williams.
Swiatek, the first Polish player to top the singles rankings in tennis history, has since added 19 more weeks to that tally from a few months ago to go above the legendary American Davenport and into ninth place.
With her favorite swing just kicking off, it is not beyond her to rise even further than ninth. Some of the women Swiatek could catch in the coming weeks include Justine Henin (117 weeks) and Ashleigh Barty (121 weeks), the woman she replaced at the top of the rankings following her retirement.
Swiatek can celebrate not only hitting this landmark achievement but also her most recent results. At the weekend, she inspired Poland’s Billie Jean King Cup triumph over 2022 champions Switzerland in Biel before traveling to Stuttgart, Germany.
She is the top seed and defending champion at the WTA 500 event taking place this week, which is loaded with world-class talent. At least eight of the Top 10 will feature, including the closest challenger to Swiatek’s throne, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina.
For Davenport, there is still reason to celebrate despite being eclipsed by the 22-year-old. She oversaw her first tie as captain of the USA’s Billie Jean King Cup team, which thrashed Belgium 4-0 to book a place in November’s Finals in Seville, where they could meet Iga Swiatek’s Poland.
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