Brad Gilbert’s ‘research’ after ‘ugly comment’ about Iga Swiatek: 9 recent Slams where champion didn’t face a top-10 player
Brad Gilbert was told to “do your research better” after he was offered a “crazy” stat about Iga Swiatek’s 2025 Wimbledon title run.
The Pole won the 2025 grass-court Grand Slam by dropping only one set – in the second round against Caty McNally – and won the final two games after she beat Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in the semi-final and Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.
That 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon scoreline was only the second time in the Open Era that a woman has double-bageled an opponent in the final of the Grand Slam with Steffi Graf the other player to achieve it against Natasha Zvereva in the 1988 final.
Besides calling it a “sad day for tennis”, Gilbert also wrote on X: “Crazy Iga Pop tourney stat,the highest ranked player she has played this @Wimbledon Samsonova at 19 AA is ranked 12, not sure when last time someone won a slam without facing a top 10 player @tennistweetscom @SharkoTennis @tennistweetscom.”
Swiatek’s physiotherapist Maciej Ryszczuk was unimpressed by the comment and replied: “@bgtennisnation it’s so low that even you can feel the bottom. Do your research better. Winning ugly doesn’t mean commenting ugly.”
We have “done research” for Gilbert about the most recent Grand Slams when a title was won without the champion facing a top-10 player en route to lifting the trophy.
In case you didn’t know, Swiatek was at No 4 in the WTA Rankings at the start of the tournament and her first four opponets were Paolina Kudermetova (64), Caty McNally (208 – she used her protected ranking to enter), Danielle Collins (54) and Clara Tauson (22) to reach the quarter-final.
She then beat world No 19 Liudmila Samsonova and No 35 Bencic to reach the final before seeing off world No 12 Anisimova in the final.
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Other recent Grand Slams where the champion didn’t face a top-10 player:
Iga Swiatek – 2022 French Open (Note: It’s ranking and not seeding)
Three years earlier, Swiatek also achieved the “feat” as she beat qualifier Lesia Tsurenko (119), Alison Riske (43), Danka Kovinic (95), Zheng Qinwen (74), Jessica Pegula (11), Daria Kasatkina (20) and Coco Gauff (23) during her run.
Ashleigh Barty – 2022 Australian Open
World No 1 Barty won her third and final Grand Slam at her home event in 2022 and she retired not long after.
The Australian beat Tsurenko (119), Lucia Bronzetti (142), Camila Giorgi (33), Anisimova (60), Pegula (21), Madison Keys (51) and Danielle Collins (30) during the fortnight.
Emma Raducanu – 2021 US Open
Raducanu’s fairytale started in the qualifying rounds and she was down at No 150 at the start of the tournament. She beat Stefanie Vögele (128) Zhang Shuai (49), Sara Sorribes Tormo (41), Shelby Rogers (43), Bencic (12), Maria Sakkari (18) and Leylah Fernandez (73).
Ashleigh Barty – 2021 Wimbledon
Barty also started her 2021 Wimbledon title challenger as the world No 1.
She started her campaign against Carla Suárez Navarro (138) and followed it up with wins over Anna Blinkova (89), Katerina Siniakova (64), Barbora Krejcikova (17), Ajla Tomljanovic (75), Angelique Kerber (28) and Karolina Pliskova (13 – although she was seeded eighth).
Naomi Osaka – 2021 Australian Open
Former world No 1 Osaka was seeded third at Melbourne Park in 2021 and she defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (39), Caroline Garcia (43), Ons Jabeur (30), Garbine Muguruza (14), Hsieh Su-wei (71), Serena Williams (11 – she was seeded 10th) and Jennifer Brady (24).
Naomi Osaka – 2020 US Open
The fourth-seeded Osaka’s title run included wins over Misaki Doi (81), Giorgi (74), Marta Kostyuk (137), Anett Kontaveit (21), Rogers (93), Brady (41) and Victoria Azarenka (27).
Ashleigh Barty – 2019 French Open
Seeded eighth, Barty beat Pegula (72), Collins (36), Petkovic (69), Sofia Kenin (35), Keys (14), Anisimova (51) and Marketa Vondrousova (38).
Naomi Osaka – 2018 US Open
Seeded 20th, Osaka beat Laura Siegemund (146), Julia Glushko (162), Aliaksandra Sasnovich (33), Aryna Sabalenka (20), Tsurenko (36), Keys (14) and Serena Williams (26).
Angelique Kerber – 2018 Wimbledon
Kerber was seeded 12th for her title run at SW19 and she beat Vera Zvonareva (142), Claire Liu (237), Osaka (18), Bencic (56), Kasatkina (14), Ostapenko (12) and Serena Williams (181 she used her protected ranking of 25 to enter).
