Seven years ago, Serena Williams had a hot streak in tennis.
Iga Swiatek won her 27th match in a row on Saturday to reach the Italian Open final.
Williams won the same number of matches.
Swiatek said that he was surprised that he could do better and better. That is the fun part.
Aiming to defend her Rome title and win her fifth straight tournament, Swiatek dominated the eighth-ranked Sabalenka with a mix of power, consistency and finesse.
| Player | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Venus Williams | 35 | 2000 |
| Serena Williams | 34 | 2013 |
| Justine Henin | 32 | 2007-08 |
| Serena Williams | 27 | 2014-15 |
| Iga Swiatek | 27 | 2022 |
| Victoria Azarenka | 26 | 2012 |
| -- ESPN Stats & Information |
Swiatek was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 She hit a half-volley winner in the final game of the first set.
Swiatek had the same number of winners and unforced errors as the other. Swiatek told the crowd to cheer louder for her by waving her arms.
Swiatek said that he felt like he understood the clay.
The hard-hitting Sabalenka took a medical timeout late in the second set and had her back treated.
Swiatek, who won the French Open in 2020 when she was ranked 54, will be the favorite to win the second Grand Slam of the year.
Swiatek will face either Ons Jabeur or Daria Kasatkina in the final.
The men's semifinals Saturday featured Alexander Zverev against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
There is more to Swiatek than her winning streak.
With more than half the season still to go, Swiatek has already won as many matches as she did in all of the previous year.
She became the seventh player to reach two finals in Rome before turning 21.
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