Iga Swiatek joins Serena Williams, Steffi Graf & Martina Hingis, registers 50th straight week in first stint as World No. 1

Iga Swiatek maintained her stranglehold on the World No. 1, with the new week being a momentous 50th consecutive week that the Pole has stayed atop the WTA rankings.

Only three other women — Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis — have held the top spot in the WTA rankings for a longer duration in their first time as the World No. 1. This puts Swiatek in fine company, to say the least.

Swiatek first ascended atop the world rankings after completing the Sunshine Double — winning the Indian Wells and Miami Open — on April 4, 2022. She has since widened the gap between and the World No. 2 position, which has been occupied by the likes of Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka.

The Pole currently sits atop the WTA rankings with 10,585 points, way ahead of Aryna Sabalenka's 6,100. Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia round out the top-5 of the current world rankings.

Swiatek's 50 weeks as the World No. 1, however, still lag, by some distance, when compared with the all-time records.

Serena Williams with the year-end World No. 1 trophy.

Graf and Williams hold the record for most consecutive weeks as the World No. 1 with an incredible 186 weeks, with their runs stretching across 1987-91 and 2013-16 respectively. Martina Navratilova was atop the ranking ladder for an astonishing 156 weeks between 1982-85.

Immediately before Swiatek, Ashleigh Barty had also remained the World No. 1 for 114 weeks between 2019 and 22, covering the Covid-19-induced frozen rankings. was the World No. 1 between 2013-15.

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Iga Swiatek faces Bianca Andreescu in Indian Wells title defense

Iga Swiatek at the BNP Paribas Open.

Iga Swiatek is currently in the midst of her title defense at the BNP Paribas Open, posting wins over the likes of Maria Sakkari, Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.

Swiatek began her 2023 campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over home favorite Claire Liu. The top seed at this year's tournament now faces another tough opponent in the form of fellow Grand Slam champion Bianca Andreescu. The two will take to the court on Monday (March 13).