Records set and broken by Iga Swiatek in her French Open 2024 triumph

Iga Swiatek solidified her dominance on clay courts by winning her third consecutive French Open championship on Saturday. The 23-year-old Polish tennis star defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.

From the start of the final, Swiatek asserted her superiority over Paolini. Her powerful forehand shots, combined with her exceptional defensive skills, proved too much for her Italian opponent to handle. Paolini struggled to find answers against Swiatek’s impressive clay court game.

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The lopsided nature of the match was evident in the statistics. Swiatek hit 28 winners while making only 13 unforced errors. She won an impressive 80% of her first serve points and converted five out of her eight break-point opportunities. Swiatek’s relentless intensity and precise shot-making overwhelmed Paolini on the grand stage of the French Open final.

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With her fourth career French Open crown now secured, Swiatek’s place among the all-time greats on clay is undeniable. The Pole has redefined dominance at Roland Garros, setting a litany of new benchmarks and records with her incredible three-peat:

Records set by Iga Swiatek at French Open 2024

  1. Became just the third woman in the Open Era to win three consecutive French Open singles titles, joining all-time greats Justine Henin (2005-2007) and Monica Seles (1990-1992) in this exclusive club. Henin and Seles were two of the most formidable claycourters ever, making Swiatek’s achievement even more remarkable.
  2. At 23 years and 9 days old, Swiatek is the youngest player in the Open Era to win four French Open singles titles. She surpassed Seles, who was 25 when she won her fourth title at Roland Garros in 1992. Swiatek is seemingly just entering the prime of her career.
  3. She is now only the fourth-youngest woman to capture five Grand Slam singles crowns, an astounding feat at such a young age. Only all-time greats Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, and Steffi Graf were younger when they won their fifth major.
  4. Swiatek is one of only 13 women in tennis history to save a match point en route to winning a Grand Slam title. She staved off a match point against Naomi Osaka in a thrilling second-round clash before rolling through the rest of the draw without the loss of a set.
  5. Her 40-minute demolition of Anastasia Potapova in the fourth round was the quickest completed match of Swiatek’s career at any level. She bageled the Russian 6-0, 6-0 in one of the most lopsided routs in recent Grand Slam history.
  6. Swiatek joined Serena Williams (2013) as the only players to sweep all three big clay court events – the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and French Open – in the same season. Her utter dominance on dirt in 2024 was unprecedented.
  7. With the title, Swiatek extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to a remarkable 21 matches, the fourth longest in the Open Era behind Chris Evert (29), Monica Seles (25), and Justine Henin (24). Her run of form in Paris is nearly unmatched.
  8. Finally, Swiatek became the first player in 10 years to win three consecutive titles at the same Grand Slam event, a feat last accomplished by Serena Williams with her run of three straight US Open titles from 2012-2014.

With her latest French Open championship, Swiatek has already captured four titles at Roland Garros, putting her within reach of Chris Evert’s Open Era record of seven. Her dominance in Paris over the last three years has been virtually unmatched since the primes of Seles and Graf in the early 1990s.

Swiatek will likely only continue adding to her list of records and accolades at the French Open for years to come. Still just 23 years old, she is seemingly just entry into the peak years of her career. The way she is obliterating the competition, there is no telling how many more titles on the terre battue of Roland Garros may be in her future.