Iga Swiatek broke a decade-long record held by Serena Williams at the WTA Finals in style as she romped to win her first year-end championship.
Swiatek conceded the fewest games (20) during her title-winning week in Cancun, Mexico, thereby trumping Serena's record by some margin. Since the event switched to a round-robin format back in 2003, it was Williams who lost the fewest games (32) en route to the 2012 title in Istanbul, Turkey.
Like Williams, Swiatek did not lose a match at the tournament and did not relinquish a single set. The Polish star also made history by ceding just one game in the final match against Jessica Pegula, beating the records of 1983 and 2003 finals.
Aside from Serena Williams, only three other players feature in the list of having fewer than 40 games. These are Kim Clijsters (37 in 2003), Justine Henin (34 in 2007), and Caroline Wozniacki (34 in 2017). Swiatek has beaten all these names and is the only player to concede less than 30 games.
This is an impressive stat, considering that the WTA Finals converge eight of the world's top eight players, which means that you are not guaranteed to get a free pass in a match. All competitors in the field are either Grand Slam champions or players who have been consistent at the top level throughout the season.
In her run to the title, Swiatek defeated at least three players ranked in the world's Top 5, including former No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, whom she deposed from that throne this week.
The toughest sets she played was a tiebreak against Marketa Vondrousova and the 7-5 set she won against Coco Gauff. Outside of that, Swiatek served three bagel sets and a couple of 6-1 sets.
The 22-year-old's dominance has now extended to the world rankings. She begins her 76th week at the top after reclaiming that mantle and finishes the 2023 season as the top prize money earner on the women's tour ($9,857,686).
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