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Madison Keys hits Serena & Venus milestone as she stuns Iga Swiatek

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Madison Keys Serena Williams

Madison Keys saved a match point to stun Iga Swiatek in a pulsating Australian Open clash and reach her second Grand Slam final.

In an enthralling contest inside the Rod Laver Arena, the 19th seed rallied from a set down to defeat second seed Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8).

Swiatek broke late on to take the first set, only for Keys to dominate the second set and force a decider.

Australian Open 2025 Women's Singles Semifinals: Madison Keys vs. Iga Swiatek preview, prediction, and live stream

READ: Serena Williams has absolutely no idea what’s going on as TGL team owner looks lost

A nervy end to the third set saw the world No 2 break and serve for the match – and hold a match point – only to double fault on break point down and set up a deciding 10-point tiebreak.

Keys was repeatedly down in the tiebreaker, though turned things around and converted her first match point to seal an epic comeback.

“I’m still trying to catch up to everything that’s happening,” joked Keys in her on-court interview. “I’m in the finals!

“That match was just such a high level and she played so well, and I felt like I was just fighting to stay in it. Obviously, I really kind of ran [away] with the second set, and the third was just a battle.

“To be able to be standing here and in the finals is absolutely amazing and I’m so excited that I get to be here on Saturday.”

Aged 29, Keys is now the oldest Australian Open women’s singles finalist since Serena Williams (35) and Venus Williams (36) both reached the final back in 2017.

Keys has also matched Caroline Wozniacki for the most Australian Open appearances before reaching the women’s singles final, with this being her 11th campaign Down Under.

Having reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2017, the American has also eclipsed Amelie Mauresmo’s record for the longest gap between first and second major singles finals.

Mauresmo had a seven-year gap between her 1999 Australian Open and 2006 Australian Open finals, a gap the American has now narrowly beaten.

World No 14 Keys will now face world No 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final.

Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion in Melbourne and is looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win three straight titles.

Keys is 1-4 down in her head-to-head against Sabalenka and has lost her last three meetings against the Belarusian, including a heartbreaking 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5) defeat in the 2023 US Open semi-final.

“Definitely some big hitting is going to happen, not a whole lot of long points”, said Keys on facing the world No 1.

“She’s obviously going for her third Aussie Open and I’m excited to get to play her, and I’m really excited for the challenge.”

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Tennis Rumor: Toxicology Insider Declares Iga Swiatek ‘Not Guilty’ in Doping Saga with Stunning Revelation

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Iga Swiatek

The racquet sport is yet again at the center of attention, but this time for all the wrong reasons.

After Jannik Sinner, women’s former world number one, Iga Swiatek tested positive for a banned substance (TMZ) in August this year. She even incurred a provisional suspension on September 12, which she successfully appealed on September 22. After that, on October 4, the provisional suspension was lifted and her period of ineligibility will hence end on December 4. Swiatek was found of “no significant fault or negligence” after successfully claiming that the medication she was using (melatonin) had accidentally been contaminated. Is she really innocent in this case?

Well, we have seen quite a mixed reaction coming in on this topic from the tennis world. Canadian tennis star, Denis Shapovalo looked a bit surprised with just a one-month suspension for the five-time Grand Slam champion. Even Simona Halep recently penned down a long note highlighting the difference in treatment. Tara Moore questioned, “HOW WAS SHE ALLOWED TO PLAY WHILST BEING SUSPENDED?” Further down the list, the former world number one, Yevgeny Kafelnikov called for players who failed drug tests to be banned for life.

Iga Swiatek banned from tennis - will she get a second suspension in 2025?

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Even Nick Kyrgios looked quite displeased with Iga Swiatek pleading her innocence. He said, “The excuse that we can all use is that we didn’t know. Simply didn’t know. Professionals at the highest level of sport can now just say ‘we didn’t know.‘“ What does the professor of pharmacology, and director of the toxicology laboratory in Garches, Jean-Claude Alvarez, have to say about all these? Well, during an interview with ‘Tout un matin,‘ Alvarez said Swiatek is completely innocent, and even a one-month suspension is unfair!

According to him, “Iga Swiatek is not guilty of anything! She was only taking melatonin to fall asleep because she was suffering from jet lag. She was trying to sleep better to improve her results. I don’t understand why she was punished with a month’s suspension, we shouldn’t punish her at all. At least in people’s eyes, she would still be innocent.” How did he jump to this massive conclusion, though?“Theoretically, an athlete is responsible for everything that enters his body. But in practice, such an approach is unrealistic, because it is impossible to control everything. An athlete would have to eat vegetables that he grows in his own garden, eggs from his own farm… It is not possible. An athlete cannot be responsible for everything that enters his body today, especially when we are looking for minimal concentrations in urine. That is why we need to set slightly higher thresholds,” Jean-Claude Alvarez argued.

Iga Swiatek’s peers, like Naomi Osaka and Magdalena Frech, also showcased their support towards her in this tough time. Even the American ski racer, Lindsay Vonn, wrote, “We know your character and your fans know it too. We have your back!” So, despite a fair bit of criticism, the Polish tennis star has been receiving a bit of support as well. What does Swiatek have to say about all these controversies, though?

There have been quite a few people who looked quite dissatisfied with the handling of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner’s doping cases. Take, for example, French star Richard Gasquet recently ripped the ITIA for “poorly managing” Swiatek and Sinner’s cases as he believes the authorities need to be transparent about these types of cases from Day 1.

Amid all these complaints, we saw Iga Swiatek’s new coach, Wim Fissette, reflecting on how “extremely stressful and difficult” phase this has been for the player and the team. However, he also highlighted the fact that he believes Swiatek is a “fighter on and off the court“ and this was just “another tough battle she won.” All they now focus on is to keep supporting each other and work as a team for a better season next year.

However, forgetting this dark patch in her career won’t be that easy for the Polish star, but amid all these, she needs to create the formula to bring her best in 2025! What did she say about the doping controversy? Well, she shared a video clip on her IG account while addressing the whole incident. Iga Swiatek said, “In the last 2.5 months I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence. The only positive doping test in my career, showing unbelievably low level of a banned substance I’ve never heard about before, put everything I’ve worked so hard for my entire life into question. Both me and my Team had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety.“

She further added, “I want to be open with you, even though I know I did nothing wrong. Out of respect for my fans and the public, I’m sharing all the details of this longest and toughest tournament of my career. My biggest hope is that you will stay with me.”

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Ahead of Coco Gauff ‘battle’, Naomi Osaka +15 makes another rankings breakthrough

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Coco Gauff Naomi Osaka

Former world No 1 Osaka started the 2024 season outside the top 800 in the rankings after missing the entire 2023 season as she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Shai.

She didn’t set the world alight on her return to action in January, but she has continued to put in the hard yards and she is starting to reap the rewards.

The 26-year-old has followed up her three-set win over 21st seed Yuli Putintseva with a 6-3, 6-2 win over world No 60th Katie Volynets.

Naomi Osaka Says Coco Gauff Will Win Major: 'Only a Matter of Time' - Business Insider

READ: ‘Not a Good Sign for Tennis’ – Carlos Alcaraz Strongly Defends ‘Innocent’ Jannik Sinner Amid WADA’s Shocking Twist in Doping Saga

Having kicked off the WTA 1000 event at No 73, Osaka is set to jump to No 58 after the tournament and there could be another surge if she gets past Gauff.

“For me, I wanted to keep growing from my last match,” the four-time Grand Slam winner told the official WTA Tour website. “I was just trying to be really aggressive from the beginning. …I felt like I really shouldn’t care too much about my unforced errors rather than just keeping her on the move.”

Fourth seed Gauff reached the last 16 with a two-set defeat of Katie Boulter and Osaka highlighted her rival’s big strength.

“She’s very athletic obviously. For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve,” the Japanese player said.

“So it’s definitely going to be a battle – who wants to take control of the point first? And I think it’s going to be me.”

She added: “I think it’s going to be a really cool test for me. She’s played really well this year. … I’m excited to play the match, and I know people are excited to watch the match.”

World No 2 Aryna Sabalanka is also safely into the fourth round after she defeated Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th consecutive win.

The three-time Grand Slam winner won the Cincinnati Open and US Open ahead of the Asian swing and will next face Madison Keys.

With world No 1 Iga Swiatek skipping the China Open, Sabalenka’s latest win has helped her to reduce the Pole’s lead at the top of the WTA Rankings to 1,164 points. If she wins the title, then the lead will be just over 200 points.

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Coco Gauff reveals ‘focus’ for improvement as she unveils new coach

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Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff has revealed she is “really excited” after confirming that Matt Daly has become her new coach.

Gauff recently split with Brad Gilbert after a 14-month partnership during which she won the US Open in 2023, but suffered a notable dip in form across this summer.

The US star has now revealed that she is working with Daly, who has joined forces with J.C Farrell to help coach the 20-year-old across the rest of the season and into 2025.

Coco Gauff Focused On Serving Up Goods Under New Coach Matt Daly

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Former collegiate star Daly, 45, most recently coached ATP Tour star Denis Shapovalov.

“I’m really excited,” said Gauff, speaking to WTA Insider.

“I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I’m super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game.

“Working with Brad was really great and obviously we had a great partnership. I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year.”

A key fixation in the American’s game recently has been her serve, particularly her second serve.

Gauff hit 19 doubles faults during her US Open fourth round defeat to compatriot Emma Navarro back earlier in September, a result that saw the then-world No 2 fall out of the top five of the WTA Rankings.

She is in action for the first time since then at the China Open in Beijing, seeded fourth in the single draw, and has revealed improving her serve has been a significant priority.

She added: “There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve. When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that’s the basis for my game.

“Already, the little bit we’ve done has made a drastic improvement to where I was three weeks ago,” she said.

“At this point, there’s not a crazy amount, like going through a whole technique change or resetting everything. It’s just subtle things that, doing it for a week now, will help me.”

Gauff begins her China Open campaign on Friday against French star Clara Burel, having received an opening round bye at the WTA 100 event.

She reached the last four at the event a year ago, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.

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(VIDEO) Iga Swiatek breaks down in tears after tough Pegula US Open loss

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Iga Swiatek Jessica Pegula US Open

World No.1 Iga Swiatek visibly let her emotions get the better of her after losing out to Jessica Pegula in the Quarter-Finals of the 2024 US Open on Wednesday.

The defeat ended her bid for a second US Open and a sixth Grand Slam. She came to New York after reaching the semi-finals of Cincinnati. She defeated Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets before then seeing off Ena Shibahara, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Liudmila Samsonova to reach the last four.

READ: US Open: Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic

While Pegula came in with the better form but more scar tissue. She had won the Canadian Open and reached the final of Cincinnati. But had priorly lost in six major Quarter-Finals. But produced a shock win 6-2, 6-4 setting up a clash with Karolina Muchova in the last four.
Swiatek though let her emotions out as she often does with a video in the players room making it to social media where she was seen wiping away the tears and visibly struggling to cope with defeat.
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US Open: ‘Fights for Every Point Like a Lioness’ – Iga Swiatek Touted as Clear Favorite Over Jessica Pegula

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Iga Swiatek Jessica Pegula US Open

The US Open 2024 has already become memorable for Iga Swiatek.

The World No.1 won her 100th Grand Slam match during R4, in the presence of Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. The Pole is riding high on success and positivity this season, as she marches into the quarterfinal clash against the home favorite, Jessica Pegula, with relative ease. Former Polish tennis pro, Wojciech Fibak, considers Swiatek the favorite to win the title to add to her wins at Roland Garros and the Olympics bronze medal.

Iga Swiatek has been one of the most consistent players in recent times. The World No. 1 has already claimed 5 Grand Slam titles, including the US Open 2022. And, after successfully getting past the initial challenges, she is anticipated to claim another title in New York. According to Fibak’s words in Onet on September 3rd, Swiatek exudes the spirit of a “lioness,” ready to claim the prey, despite challenges.

Iga Swiatek admits playing against Jessica Pegula is "never easy" ahead of their quarterfinal clash at 2024 US Open

READ: US Open: Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic

Praising Swiatek’s game, Fibak said, “Our Iga fights for every point like a lioness, even if something doesn’t go her way, even if she hits the ball with her frame.” Moreover, the former World No.10 thinks that Swiatek’s strong will to win makes her a role model for other tennis players in the circuit. He further remarked, “She gives everything to win. In this respect, her psyche is iron. She is a role model for all other tennis players.”

Moreover, Fibak feels that the US Open is Swiatek’s home, and in New York, the World No.1 would claim her 2nd US Open. “She won the US Open 2 years ago and I believe she will win this year. She will be the clear favorite,” the former pro added. In Swiatek’s road to the final though, stands Jessica Pegula whom the Pole will lock horns with in the QF.

It has been a long season for Iga Swiatek and the sports psychologist, Dariusz Nowicki, even gave the ‘iron psyche’ a burn-out warning after her Olympics win. He said, “Iga is very overloaded, and sooner or later, hopefully as late as possible, she will experience burnout syndrome.” However, the Pole has continued her tremendous run on the court, with the support of her fans and family. Now, she focuses on answering Pegula’s challenge in the quarters!

Back in 2022, Pegula lost the US Open quarterfinals against Swiatek. Fast forward to 2024, and they meet again. However, things might be a bit different this time. Talking about the overall results, Swiatek leads Pegula in H2H count with 6-3. However, when the 2023 results are taken into account, the score has been even. Both the players claimed two matches each, in an alternative order. Pegula might have found a way to restrain Swiatek!

According to Tennis Channel Live previews, Pegula needs to focus on her serve to reign in the World No.1. Pegula’s aggressive play would come in handy against Swiatek’s strong forehand grip. The opponents find it tricky to deal with the American tennis star because of her compact strokes, which stay low. But Pegula needs to get her first serve in, as Swiatek is lethal on second serves.

Though Iga Swiatek might be the favorite for some, Jessica Pegula can’t be written off. The Canadian Open champion is all set to tackle the challenges and claim her first Grand Slam title at home! This clash of the Titans should be a cracking watch.

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US Open: Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic

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Iga Swiatek Novak Djokovic

Iga Swiatek may be destined to face the same fate as Novak Djokovic with tennis fans.

Where is the love for Iga Swiatek?

The world No 1 is undoubtedly the best player in the women’s game and her commanding lead at the top of the world rankings confirms her levels of consistency are in a different league compared to all of her rivals.

Yet when the lists of most popular tennis players are compiled, Swiatek rarely gets a mention.

French Open news: Tennis duo gang up on Novak Djokovic as Iga Swiatek shows true colours | Tennis | Sport | Express.co.uk

READ: Novak Djokovic facing alarming rankings blow as he could miss key tournament

In the men’s game, it is easy to pick out Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the fans’ favourites, with Frances Tiafoe, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Draper and Ben Shelton also enjoying a strong fan base.

In the women’s game, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur and even the rarely seen Emma Raducanu tend to get more positive media coverage than the best player in women’s tennis.

It may be that Swiatek’s efficient brilliance has not captured the imagination of some fans, with her clinical ability to hand out 6-0 sets to her overwhelmed opponents a trait that some find less than appealing.

One of Iga’s biggest ‘crimes’ may be that she is just too good, with the way she wins tennis matches in such a brutal and swift fashion failing to serve up the excitement fans crave.

Away from her reputation as a winning machine, Swiatek is everything we want from our sporting greats.

She is vulnerable at times, shows her frailties on court and can collapse under pressure on the rare occasions when she allows an an opponent to get on top of her in a match.

Swiatek is also an outspoken supporter of making life better for players, with her pleas for a trimmed-down tennis schedule backed up by her honest confessions over the social media abuse that comes her way.

“The amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get after even losing a set is just ridiculous,” she said earlier this month. “I want to encourage people to be more thoughtful when they comment on the Internet.

“It’s kind of sad for me to see that people I work with and myself, we are really judged.

“I would like to encourage people to be more thoughtful and to also focus on the positive side of what we are doing. We all sacrifice a lot, and we are all working really hard to be in that place. We are always giving 100% of what we can do every day.

“I’m only kind of seeing the messages from my close ones, the ones that I already accepted, but for sure there is a lot of hate.

“It would be nice if we can try to educate people and also maybe in the future have some solutions as, you know, using Al to make it safer for us.

“Because I feel like we can’t be on the internet and feel like kind of safe anymore. You have to really be careful about what you’re reading and who you’re following.

“I know that there are some tools that, for example, Roland Garros offered for us, like this app that we can have on the phone, and it’s going to block the hateful messages.

“My team also has been kind of looking in my case what kind of messages have been blocked or not when we’re using this app. It would be nice if we had more opportunities to use this kind of tools because it’s always some kind of help.”

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Watch as Serena Williams lifts Iga Swiatek’s spirit before victory over Pavlyuchenkova

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Iga Swiatek detailed the conversation she had with Serena Williams during the US Open.

The world No. 1 was dazzled by her encounter with the 23-time Grand Slam champion and admitted that it gave her a ‘positive boost’ before the third round.
The Polish player secured a comfortable victory over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, winning 6-4, 6-2. Just before the match, the 23-year-old had a prolonged chat with Williams: “It was really nice to see her. She has a lot of positive energy,” commented Iga Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek's US Open peaks with overdue Serena Williams meeting, selfie

READ: Iga Swiatek admits she ‘doesn’t feel safe’ as ‘hate’ flows in her direction

“It is nice that she came on-site and she was chatting with the players because for me, even though we met before and for like a couple of years we have been on the same side and on the tours together, she is still like star-striking me,” she added, smiling. “It was nice that she approached me because I wouldn’t for sure find the courage to do that (smiling) if it was the other way. Yeah, she is really nice and really positive.”
“I’m happy that she is following tennis and likes my game because she told me she is cheering for me. It’s always nice to hear that from somebody like Serena,” added the 5-time Grand Slam champion. “She approached me, like, at 4:00, you know, today. It was before my warm-up. I would say it more inspired me and it gave me, like, a positive kick, so it was nice.”
Additionally, Swiatek was asked to compare the current level of tennis with that of two decades ago, but she acknowledged that it is difficult for her to draw conclusions: “It’s hard for me to judge the level I have because I am constantly looking at myself and other players, so it’s not easy to say if we are playing at our best level or at a higher level than five years ago,” she said.
“Surely we are playing better tennis than 20 years ago because our physical condition has improved, among other things. I’m not an expert, I haven’t watched many past matches, but it’s clear that you need to improve to move forward,” Swiatek added. “Becoming world No. 1 happened suddenly for me; I admit that at first, my opponents didn’t know what to expect from my game.”
“2023 was a challenge because I had a big target on my back; my rivals already knew my style, so that’s when you need to learn and have more variety on the court, you can’t keep playing the same tennis because people will figure it out, and it will be harder to win.”
“I don’t know if tennis is improving overall, but you need to enhance your game because here everyone analyzes you, and they will end up focusing on you to beat you.”

 

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Iga Swiatek admits she ‘doesn’t feel safe’ as ‘hate’ flows in her direction

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Iga Swiatek US Open

Iga Swiatek has admitted she feels threatened by the abuse flowing her way online, as she opened up in his latest US Open press conference.

The Pole, gunning for a second title at Flushing Meadows, dropped just one game as she dispatched Ena Shibahara 6-0 6-1 in 65 minutes.

Only three players (Margaret Court – 11, Maria Sharapova – 8, Evonne Goolagong – 8) have registered more sets of 6-0 score line from their first 22 matches in women’s singles at US Open than Swiatek (7) during the Open Era, with her status a favourite to win a second title in New York strengthened by her dominant win against Shibahara.

Iga Swiatek joins Serena Williams and other legends with two stellar achievements at US Open

READ: Carlos Alcaraz is one of 4 men to hold record that eluded Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer

Yet it was her comments in her post-match press conference that may have been her most significant contribution to the game, as she spoke about the impact online abuse can have on her.

Swiatek insisted she doesn’t follow all the abusive messages flowing her way on social media, but the level of venom coming her way does occasionally get through.

“I’m only kind of seeing the messages from my close ones, the ones that I already accepted, but for sure there is a lot of hate,” she said, suggesting her social media feeds are restricted to messages from approved followers.

“It would be nice if we can try to educate people and also maybe in the future have some solutions as, you know, using Al to make it safer for us.

“Because I feel like we can’t be on the internet and feel like kind of safe anymore. You have to really be careful about what you’re reading and who you’re following.

“I know that there are some tools that, for example, Roland Garros offered for us, like this app that we can have on the phone, and it’s going to block the hateful messages.

“My team also has been kind of looking in my case what kind of messages have been blocked or not when we’re using this app. It would be nice if we had more opportunities to use these kind of tools because it’s always some kind of help.”

Swiatek will doubtless avoid the social media barbs as she looks towards the second week of the US Open and she is excited by her form heading into the business end of the tournament.

“I was just happy with the way I played, not overpowering and being really solid and picking the right shots to be reactive, I am happy with everything,” said Swiatek.

“I felt in much better rhythm. I was a bit tense in my last match. I just wanted to focus on myself and that’s what I did.”

The withdrawal of No 4 seed Elena Rybakina from the US Open due to illness could have an impact on Swiatek as she was due to meet her old rival in the semi-finals in New York.

Swiatek will now play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round, with American Jessica Pegula the most threatening player in her section of the draw.

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Iga Swiatek joins Serena Williams and other legends with two stellar achievements at US Open

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Iga Swiatek Serena Williams US Open

Iga Swiatek achieved two impressive feats that highlight her immense success and consistency with her opening round victory at the 2024 US Open.

The world No 1 earned a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(6) win against world No 104 Kamilla Rakhimova on Arthur Ashe Stadium to begin her quest to win a second US Open title.

Swiatek was broken when serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set and won five straight points after trailing 3-6 in the tiebreak — saving three set points in the process — to prevail.

Iga Swiatek's US Open peaks with overdue Serena Williams meeting, selfie

READ: Iga Swiatek stands firm on ‘crazy’ scheduling comments and insists tennis is going in the wrong direction

The Polish star is seeking her sixth Grand Slam title, having won the French Open in four of the last five years and the US Open in 2022.

“At the beginning [it was] good, but then I got a little bit tight and my opponent used that, so I was trying to get back to my game,” Swiatek said in a post-match interview. “I’m pretty sure that day by day I’m going to get more rhythm.”

With her opening round triumph at Flushing Meadows, Swiatek became the fifth-youngest woman in the Open Era to win 20 consecutive Grand Slam first round matches at 23 years and 88 days.

Swiatek started the streak at the 2019 US Open after suffering the only opening round exit in her major career at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

Maria Sharapova is the youngest player to win 20 straight opening round women’s singles Grand Slam opening round encounters, having achieved this at the age of 21 years and 37 days.

Caroline Wozniacki (21 years, 321 days), Lindsay Davenport (21 years, 351 days) and Gabriela Sabatini (22 years, 247 days) are the only other woman to accomplish this at a younger age than Swiatek.

In addition, Swiatek’s win was her 80th Grand Slam victory in her 97th match and only two tennis legends have reached this milestone in fewer matches this century.

Serena Williams earned 80 wins from her first 93 major singles matches, while Venus Williams achieved this in 94 matches.

Swiatek will face world No 217 Ena Shibahara, a 26-year-old Japanese qualifier, in the second round on Thursday.

Shibahara struck 57 winners during her three-set win over Daria Saville, which is the highest number any player hit in the first round of the women’s singles event in New York.

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