Iga Swiatek joined an exclusive club by winning back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments on the European clay swing.
In a clash between the world's top two for the second tournament in a row, Swiatek toppled Aryna Sabalenka to win her third Italian Open. Unlike their epic showdown in Madrid, which lasted three sets, the Pole was majestic in closing out a 6-2, 6-3 win.
Two weeks ago, the Madrid Open was the missing piece in Swiatek's set of big clay-court titles. She saved three match points in the final to snatch the trophy away from the Belarusian.
Who else has won the Madrid-Rome double before Roland Garros?
Swiatek became the third woman to win in Madrid and Rome in the same season. She joins former World No. 1 Dinara Safina—the first to achieve it in 2009—and Serena Williams, the last WTA player to do it in 2013.
Overall, Swiatek is the fifth player to achieve this super impressive feat. ATP stars Novak Djokovic (2011) and Rafael Nadal (2010 and 2013) have also done it.
Who has won the Triple Crown on clay?
The rare Triple Crown means winning Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros, the three biggest clay tournaments. Dinara Safina came up short in her quest to do so, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the 2009 Roland Garros final in straight sets.
Serena Williams remains the only woman to have achieved it in 2013 when she won the Madrid and Italian Opens and defeated Maria Sharapova to win the French Open. On the men's side, Rafael Nadal did it twice in 2010 and 2013, beating Robin Soderling and David Ferrer in the French Open finals.
What next for Iga Swiatek after Rome?
It has been a near-perfect lead-up to Roland Garros for the 22-year-old, who will head to Paris with a 14-1 record and solidifying her status as the overwhelming favorite for the title. Her only defeat in the past month was in Stuttgart when Elena Rybakina ended her 10-match undefeated streak.
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