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Iga Swiatek's successful title defense at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart was celebrated by fellow Poles Hubert Hurkacz and Agnieszka Radwanska.
Swiatek took on Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Stuttgart. The World No. 1 was clinical in her performance as she dominated proceedings against Sabalenka, winning 6-3, 6-4. The Pole extended her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 5-2.
Hubert Hurkacz congratulated Swiatek on Twitter for winning her second consecutive title in Stuttgart.
"Brawo @iga_swiatek!!!," Hurkacz tweeted.
Former World No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska also lauded Swiatek's victory as she posted a picture of herself watching the final play out with her son.
The final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka was the first time the World No. 1 and World No. 2 faced off in a clay court final since the 2013 French Open final when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova.
Iga Swiatek proud of her consistency after Stuttgart victory
Following her victory, Iga Swiatek expressed pride at the level of consistency she was exhibiting as she entered her 56th consecutive week as World No. 1. The Pole also opened up about expecting a "tough" season due to the high external expectations put on her.
"I'm just pretty proud of my consistency, because when I was consistent on another level, it was nice, but this level kind of, it's over my expectations even. So last year was really, really tough, and I felt like this season may be tough, you know, because of what people are saying and expectations from the outside," Iga Swiatek said during the post-match press conference.
The 21-year-old opined that she can now use her experience to pull herself up when things do not go her way, adding that being ranked No. 1 for this long made it "an exciting time" in her career.
"Now I feel like I just can use my experience a little bit more, more than like worry about stuff. I'm just happy that I'm World No. 1 for more than a year, and it's an exciting time," Swiatek said, with a smile.
Swiatek now holds a 20-4 win/loss record for the season. The Pole currently occupies the third spot in the race to the 2023 WTA Finals with 2,280 points to her name, behind Aryna Sabalenka (3,830) and Elena Rybakina (3,266).
Iga Swiatek will be back in action at the WTA 1000 Madrid Open in the Round of 64 on April 27.
