The insatiable number one in women’s tennis, Polish Iga Swiatek, defeated Tunisian Ons Jabeur (7th in the WTA) on Sunday, 6-2, 6-2, to retain her title in Rome and win her fifth consecutive tournament after wins in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Stuttgart.

A week before Roland Garros begins, which will be played between May 22 and June 5, where he will start as the great favorite, the 20-year-old Pole continued his impressive winning rhythm in 2022, in his 28th consecutive victory, which he achieved in 1 hour and 22 minutes.

One fact to measure Swiatek’s impressive walk: since 2000, only Venus Williams (35), Serena Williams (34) and Justine Henin (32) have improved on the 28-game winning streak achieved by Pole, which has been undefeated since mid-February. The absolute record is held by the big Martina Navratilova (74) since 1984.

“I am proud of myself. I am very happy that I have gone step by step and focused on one thing at a time. That has been the success. It is difficult to describe the feeling, I feel that I have to continue doing this. I am very happy of my game so solid, “Swiatek said in a press conference after lifting a new trophy this season with pure inspiration.

In the absence of Swiatek, who is resting due to an arm pain, Jabeur prevailed last week in Madrid, becoming the first player from an Arab country to win the WTA 1,000 title, the tournament’s most prestigious category after the Grand Slams. .

The Tunisian, combative as usual, but tired of the two fights he fought in the quarterfinals and the semifinals, was able to calibrate this Sunday the difference that still separates him from the Pole. “I gave my best, I didn’t play the best tennis but I’m not angry. Iga is number 1 for something, I have a lot to learn from her”Jabeur confirmed at the press conference.

Swiatek started strong breaking his opponent’s serve twice to win the first set and also do the same in the second, to take a 4-0 lead and hold the serve in the next game.

Jabeur woke up and won two games, broke his opponent’s serve and was left at 4-2, but Swiatek rallied to win all subsequent games.

Throughout this week at the Foro Italico, the number one in the world proved to be at a high level, without giving up a set, having achieved the eighth tournament of his career. Moreover, he has only lost one set in his last twenty games, placing him as the top contender to win at Roland Garros, where he was already crowned in 2020. His last loss began on Feb. 16, in the second round of Dubai against the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.

Source: AFP