Iga Swiatek won her first-ever WTA Finals title with a convincing win against Jessica Pegula. The Polish star dominated the first from the off and won the match in straight sets. Pegula had no answers to Swiatek’s shots, and lost 6-1, 6-0 in an hour.
There has been a long running joke in the tennis community around the ‘Iga Bakery’. The Polish star’s habit of beating opponents by a score of 6-0 or 6-1—referred to by supporters as “bagel” and “breadstick”, is the reason behind the joke. Iga Swiatek had already served a bagel to Coco Gauff earlier in the tournament and now, completely dominated the final.
Jessica Pegula posted an Instagram story regarding the joke after losing the WTA Finals against the Pole. Although the American lost, she seemed in a positive mode post match. The tennis fans hailed her sense of humor even in defeat and praised her positive attitude. The American also expressed her happiness after a positive 2023 season as she celebrated the end of the season with a drink.
Iga’s bakery was back in full flow in the WTA Final at Cancun. The Pole dominated from the first serve and won the first set 6-1 against the American. Swiatek gave away only one break point throughout the match, which Pegula failed to convert.
The American was broken five times on her serve and struggled with her service game. Swiatek finally put Pegula out of her misery by winning the second set 6-0.
This win took Swiatek to the number one ranking in the world again. The Pole lost her number 1 status to Aryna Sabalenka after the US Open, but the WTA Finals win has made her the WTA world number 1 again.
Iga Swiatek does not enjoy the ‘Iga Bakery’ joke
The ‘Iga Bakery’ joke has been long used in the tennis community due to Swiatek’s dominance in matches. The Polish star is known to dismantle her opponents 6-0 and 6-1 which has resulted in this joke. However, the Pole is not too happy with this joke. The 22 year-old feels it is disrespectful to her opponents and does not enjoy it being used.
“I don’t want to really talk about that, because I really get why people do that, because it’s fun and tennis is entertainment and everything. But like from players’ point of view, I want to kind of be respectful to my opponents and, you know, you don’t see the stuff that is behind the scenes.”
Iga Swiatek has dominated women’s tennis and finished the year as the world number 1. However, all eyes will be on the Australian Open to see how her rivals react to this setback.
