Iga Swiatek's incredible 2022 season has gotten even better after she became the first player since Serena Williams to achieve two impressive feats.
Swiatek's 2020 French Open title showed how talented she is. However, after not securing a Grand Slam title in 2021, no analyst predicted the 21-year-old would enjoy such an extraordinary 2022 season.
The Pole made headlines worldwide with an extraordinary 37-match winning streak from the Qatar Open until finally losing to Alize Cornet in the third round of Wimbledon. During that run, she obtained six titles, including a second French Open.
Swiatek's results finally dipped before the US Open, but she responded stunningly at Flushing Meadows to win her first Grand Slam outside the French Open. The WTA world No. 1 was also surprised with tiramisu afterward.
Although Swiatek's 2022 season has been outstanding, she is still far from matching Williams' achievements, who won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, an Olympic gold medal, and dominated the WTA Tour for years.
Williams bid farewell to professional tennis at this year's US Open. Witnessing one of the sport's most significant figures say goodbye at her home Grand Slam was among the most emotional moments ever seen in tennis.
Therefore, Swiatek's career as a whole cannot be compared to Williams'. However, beating Daria Kasatkina and Coco Gauff and overcoming a stoppage against Caroline Garcia in the WTA Finals group stage means she is the first player to achieve two records since the American.
Since the current system was implemented in 2009, the Polish player will become just the second player to achieve 11.000 ranking points. Williams was the first one, and she had more than 13.000 points in 2013.
Moreover, the Polish player dropped only 13 games in this year's group stage at the WTA Finals. That makes her the first player to drop 15 games or fewer since Williams in 2013. Justine Henin's 11 games in 2007 remain the record.