Iga Swiatek becomes 1st since Serena Williams to win 5 or more WTA titles in back-to-back seasons

Iga Swiatek became the first player since former World No. 1 Serena Williams to win five or more WTA titles in back-to-back seasons.

The 2023 China Open ended on Sunday, October 8, with second seed Iga Swiatek winning the WTA 1000 tournament.

The Pole defeated World No. 22 Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, in the final clash in Beijing. En route to the title, Swiatek defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo, Varvara Gracheva, Magda Linette, Caroline Garcia and reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff.

After clinching the title in Beijing, her fifth of the season, Iga Swiatek became the first player to win five or more WTA titles in successive seasons, since Serena Williams in 2015 and 2016.

Over the course of the last two seasons, the 22-year-old has won 16 WTA titles, including the 2022 US Open and the Roland Garros twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Former World No. 1 Serena Williams is arguably one of the greatest players to grace the sport of tennis, having won 23 Grand Slam titles across her career. In 2003 and 2015, Williams recorded the unique feat of holding the title at all four Grand Slam singles tournaments at the same time and this achievement became known as the 'Serena Slam.'

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"I'm going to think about the statistics maybe at the end of the season" - Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning the 2023 China Open in Beijing

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek lost the top spot to Aryna Sabalenka over the course of the season. After a shock quarterfinal exit from the 2023 Japan Open, Swiatek clinched the title in Beijing to put her in contention for the top spot in the WTA rankings.

During a press conference at the 2023 China Open, the 22-year-old responded to a statistic that reported Swiatek as the player with the most wins in the season. Although she was happy with her consistency, the Pole said she would not focus on it until the end of the season.

"I didn't know. It doesn't happen often and I'm happy to be that type of consistent player. For two seasons I already played a lot and these seasons were not easy. I feel like I'm going in the right direction and all these wins mean I'm one of the best players in the world," Swiatek said.

It's great to feel that and it's great to have the effect of all your work, you feel more satisfied. But I'm going to think about the statistics maybe at the end of the season," she added.