Iga Swiatek was on a rampage in the group stages of the WTA Finals, inflicting bagels during 2 of her 3 wins. In doing so, she became the first woman in over three decades to win over 20 sets with a 6-0 scoreline for two consecutive seasons. Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were the last women to achieve this feat, something even Serena Williams failed to do.
Swiatek added another win to her dominant record over Coco Gauff, which now stands at 9-1. She beat the American 6-0, 7-5 in her second round-robin match of the WTA Finals, her 22nd bagel set win in 2023. Previously, she downed Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 in the first group clash. In 2022, the World No.2 finished with 22 6-0 sets.
Graf and Seles both accomplished this record in 1991 and 1992 at the peak of their rivalry. The latter, who finished as the year-end No.1 in both those years, secured a whopping 35 bagel sets in 1991, backing that up with 23 the following year. Her victims included Martina Navratilova and Gabriela Sabatini. Graf, meanwhile, bagged 21 and 23 6-0 sets in 1991 and 1992, respectively. Her biggest scalps were Jennifer Capriati and Mary Joe Fernandez. (As per Tennis Abstract).
+20 – Iga Swiatek is the first player to win more than 20 sets with a 6-0 scoreline for consecutive seasons since Steffi Graf and Monica Seles (1991-1992). Baker.#WTAFinals | @WTA @WTA_insider @WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/7qkaOjHWAN
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) October 30, 2023
Swiatek’s run started with a 6-3, 6-0 demolition of qualifier Harriett Dart in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open. That year, she won 22 sets by a 6-0 scoreline, besting the likes of Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys. 2022 proved to be her most successful season as she won the French Open, US Open, and four WTA 1000 titles. She finished as the year-end No.1.
2023 has not been that fruitful for Swiatek as she won only the Roland Garros and the China Open. However, she already has 22 bagels YTD and has a chance to better her tally from last year. En route to winning the French Open, she secured a 6-0 set in each of her first three rounds. Her latest and 22nd bagel came against Gauff, who has borne the brunt of Swiatek’s ruthless form.
Record-setting Iga Swiatek impacts Coco Gauff the hardest
Before their round-robin match, Gauff compared her developing rivalry with Swiatek to that of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. She said she wanted to get a win and improve their extremely one-sided head-to-head record, which Swiatek now leads 9-1. However, the teenager was no match as the Polish star swept her aside 6-0, 7-5. In addition to winning her 22nd bagel set, Swiatek also added another chapter to her domination over Gauff.
This was the third instance of Swiatek inflicting a bagel upon Gauff across the past two years. No other player has suffered more 6-0 set defeats at the hands of Swiatek. The four-time Grand Slam winner beat the 19-year-old 6-0, 6-3 in the quarter-final of the 2022 San Diego Open. In their very next meeting, again in the group phase of the WTA Finals, Swiatek again defeated Gauff with a bagel. She won 6-0, 6-3 in last year’s season-ending championship.
Gauff’s only win over the Pole came in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters 2023. The duo could potentially cross paths again in the final of the WTA Finals. Iga Swiatek is expected to represent Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals beginning days after the year-end championship ends. She will look to give her best in the WTA Finals and the upcoming tournament, possibly bettering her tally of bagel sets from last year.
