Although still miles ahead of every other player on the tour, Iga Swiatek's dominance this season seems to be fading with yet another third-round loss.
Thursday night saw Swiatek fall to America's Madison Keys 6-3, 6-4 in their Round-of-16 clash at the Western & Southern Open. After trailing 6-3, 5-0, the Pole fought back to win four straight games and saved three match points before the unseeded Keys closed out the 85-minute-long match.
While the American broke Swiatek five times and hit 14 winners, the World No. 1 could break only twice, finishing with six winners. Since Swiatek's 37-match streak ended in the third round at Wimbledon, she has lost three out of seven matches, failing to reach the last-four stage in all three tournaments.
Tennis fans were once again divided after the 21-year-old's exit. A few suggested that she was a clay specialist, while others backed her for her incredible 50-7 win-loss record this year.
"Showed her fight to the end. Not every single day goes our way, and it's fine. Just regroup, keep working, and more wins will come. Just us expecting wins, and great showings are proof of the type of work and talent we're talking about. Jazda!" a fan tweeted.
"This week the Red Stars lost, Sky lost, watched Rafa Nadal and Iga Swiatek lose with my own two eyes, is there any team or athlete anyone would like me to curse with my time and attention," a user posted.
"Swiatek still showed flashes of her best, and pulled a power move by asking for a racquet restring despite being way down in the match, not accepting defeat too soon. Unstoppable Iga is still in there, she needs to reset again," another tweet read.
Here are a few more reactions:
Iga Swiatek's season so far

Earlier this year, Iga Swiatek achieved the top spot in the WTA rankings for the first time in her career. The Pole has won a staggering 50 matches in 2022, losing only seven. In the process, she recorded a 37-match win streak, surpassing Venus Williams' record of 35 consecutive wins this century. Swiatek's streak was broken in the third round of Wimbledon by Alize Cornet of France.
The six singles titles that the 21-year-old has won this season include the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Stuttgart Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open.