Iga Swiatek equalled Serena Williams 27-match winning streak as she reached the final of the Italian Open on Saturday.
World No.1 Swiatek advanced to her fifth consecutive WTA Tour final, defeating No.8 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals in Rome.
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Swiatek has now won 40 of her past 41 sets and the victory extended her winning streak to 27 matches, the fourth longest of the century.
Last time a player won 27 matches in a row? 👀
2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣5️⃣ (Serena Williams, 2014 WTA Finals-2015 Madrid)@iga_swiatek | #IBI22
— wta (@WTA) May 14, 2022
Serena Williams won 27 consecutive matches from the 2014 WTA Finals through 2015 Madrid.
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With wins in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami, Swiatek is the first player since Simona Halep in 2017 to make four WTA 1000 finals in a single season.
The 20-year-old Polish player has lost just 17 games en route to the Rome final.
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“At these tournaments where we play day after day, we don’t really get time to celebrate,” Swiatek said.
“Right after we finish the previous match, we have to think about the next one. It’s pretty tough.
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“But I know that after I’m going to be really proud of myself. For sure I’m going to have time to think about what I did.
“But, yeah, I mean, I’m just constantly surprising myself that I can do better and better. I feel like I actually can believe now that the sky’s the limit. That’s the fun part, for sure.”
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