Iga Swiatek emulates stunning Serena & Venus Williams feat with WTA Finals demolition job
Iga Swiatek dismantled Daria Kasatkina at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh to keep her hopes of progressing to the semi-finals alive.
The world No 2 and five-time Grand Slam winner steamrolled Kasatkina 6-1, 6-0 in just 53 minutes in her third and final round robin match.
Swiatek broke the 27-year-old Russian five times, did not face a break point and won 51 of the 74 total points played in a one-sided contest.
The Pole, who is the reigning WTA Finals champion, now holds a 6-1 record against Kasatkina and has won the pair’s last six encounters without losing a set.
Kasatkina, the world No 9, entered the event as an alternate to replace Jessica Pegula, who withdrew due to injury after losing her first two matches.
“It was a pretty solid performance from me,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview.
“I’m happy that I did everything to win it and glad I have two wins in the group now.
“I feel like I was spinning the ball well and picking the right shots to play faster and being solid.
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“Thank you guys for the support. It means a lot and any place I go I hear this (the crowd chanting ‘Iga’). I haven’t played in a while and I miss this feeling of the support.”
Swiatek’s victory against Kasatkina was her 10th win against an opponent ranked in the top 10 of the WTA Rankings in 2024.
This makes her only the third woman to earn 10 or more wins against top 10 players in three consecutive seasons since the year 2000. The 23-year-old recorded 15 wins over top 10 opponents in 2022 and 13 in 2023.
Venus Williams reached double figures for top 10 wins in 2000, 2001 and 2002, making her the first woman to accomplish the feat this century. Serena Williams, meanwhile, achieved it between 2012 and 2014. Memorabilia for both Williams sisters features on popular platforms such as Firma Stella and others.
Swiatek has now won five sets by a scoreline of 6-0 at the WTA Finals, equalling Serena Williams’ tally at the tournament.
Only Martina Navratilova (12), Chris Evert and Steffi Graf (both seven) have won more bagel sets in the history of the women’s year-end championships.
Swiatek’s chances of progressing to the last four of the WTA Finals now rest on the outcome of the match between Coco Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova. If Gauff wins, Swiatek will advance to the semi-finals in second place behind the American.
If Krejcikova prevails, Swiatek will be eliminated as this would see the Czech match her total of two wins and, crucially, surpass her tally of sets won.
Swiatek defeated Krejcikova in three sets in her opening round robin match before falling in straight sets to Gauff in her second outing.
The Pole will face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka if she does reach the last four.
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