Iga Swiatek joins Serena Williams as the 2nd player to record 11 consecutive straight-sets wins over Grand Slam champions after Stuttgart QF triumph

Iga Swiatek recently joined Serena Williams in becoming only the second player to register 11 consecutive straight-sets wins over Grand Slam champions. She achieved this feat after defeating former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Two-time defending champion Swiatek defeated Raducanu 7-6(2), 6-3 in just over two hours to move to the quarterfinals as well as extend her winning streak at Stuttgart to 10 matches.

With the win, the World No.1 became only the second player this century to win 11 consecutive matches against Grand Slam champions without dropping a single set. The only other player to accomplish this was Serena Williams, who did the same between Wimbledon 2010 and the 2012 US Open.

Swiatek's impressive streak of winning against Grand Slam champions without dropping a set began a year ago in the final of the Stuttgart Open when she defeated Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Since then, for a year, the Pole has defeated former Wimbledon champions Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova, US Open champion Coco Gauff, former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, and former US Open champions Sloan Stephens and Emma Raducanu.

Iga Swiatek to face former Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina at Stuttgart SF

Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina at the 2024 Qatar TotalEnergies Open

Iga Swiatek will take on former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the semifinals of the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Swiatek kicked off her Stuttgart campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She secured her spot in the semifinals by defeating Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-4 in the second round and then taking down Emma Raducanu in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina, like Swiatek, started her Stuttgart campaign in the second round. She faced a tough battle against Veronika Kudermetova in her opening match, ultimately winning 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-4. Rybakina then defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Swiatek and Rybakina have met five times on the WTA Tour, with the World No. 4 emerging victorious in three of those matches. Their head-to-head record currently stands at 2-3 in favor of the Kazakh.

Their first encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Ostrava Open, where Iga Swiatek defeated Elena Rybakina 7-6(5), 6-2. They faced off three more times last season, with Rybakina winning all three matches - at the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open, and advancing to the semifinals of the Italian Open after the World No.1 withdrew due to an injured right thigh.

Their most recent match took place in the final of the 2024 Qatar Open, where Iga Swiatek claimed victory over Elena Rybakina with a score of 7-6(8), 6-2, securing her third consecutive title.