Iga Swiatek matches Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis record as she enters 70th week as World No. 1 

Iga Swiatek joined a small elite group comprising tennis legends Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis on Monday (July 31). With the WTA rankings updated, the Pole became just the third player ever to complete 70 weeks as a World No. 1 in her first stint atop the ladder.

Having first ascended to the top of the rankings on April 4, 2022, Iga Swiatek maintained a healthy lead over the second-ranked player.

The Pole recently added 175 points to her previous 9,315 — bringing her grand total to 9,490 — by securing her fourth title of the season on home soil at Warsaw. She had beaten the likes of Laura Seigemund, Yanina Wickmayer and Linda Noskova en route to the final.

The same has helped the World No. 1 extend her lead over Aryna Sabalenla (ranked second with 8,746 points) to 744 points.

Swiatek's top ranking had come under threat at the recently-concluded Wimbledon Championships, with Sabalenka being just one win away from dethroning her. The Belarussian, however, lost her semifinal encounter to Ons Jabeur.

The Pole will now be looking to defend a bunch of points she earned during the US Open series last year, including the 2,000 points she picked up by winning her second Grand Slam title in New York.

As for Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis, their first stints atop the WTA rankings came during the late 1980s and 1990s, respectively.

While Steffi Graff was the World No. for 186 weeks from August 17, 1987, to March 10, 1991, Martina Hingis held on to the top spot for 80 weeks after first reaching the summit on March 31, 1997.

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Iga Swiatek trails Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis in total weeks as World No. 1 by a fair margin

Iga Swiatek first rose to World No. 1 ranking in April 2022.

Despite matching Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis with the impressive stat, Iga Swiatek trails the duo in overall total weeks as the World No. 1 by a fair margin.

Steffi Graf remained in the pole position for a record 377 weeks and is followed by the likes of Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams. The two women also boast of 300-plus weeks as the World No. 1 with 322 and 319 weeks, respectively.

Martina Hingis, for her part, added another 129 weeks to her tally after returning to the top spot after her initial 80-week stint for a grand total of 209.