Seeds tumble as Swiatek claims number one ranking
NEW world number one Iga Swiatek has blitzed her way into the third round of the Miami Open, and with other results, will claim the top spot in the wake of current holder Ash Barty‘s retirement. The Polish 20-year-old burst onto the scene with a stunning Roland Garros victory in 2020, and has gone from strength to strength to enter the Top 10 last year, and now risen all the way up to world number two this week just gone to then assume Barty’s position following the Australian’s request to be removed from the rankings.
Swiatek achieved it with a smashing 6-2 6-0 victory over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in an hour and 14 minutes. The world number two won 67.6 per cent of her first serve points and 50 per cent of her second serve points off a 67.3 per cent clip. By comparison, Golubic could only win 15 points on her serve, and was broken six times. Though she did manage to break Swiatek once, the Pole saved eight break points.
“The thing is, I never really imagined that moment because, truth to be told, I was working day-by-day and playing tennis well,” Swiatek said when told of her move to world number one. “But I never had the strong belief that it can actually happen. So, it’s even more surreal for me.
“I loved every moment of it. It doesn’t matter for me if there were fireworks. The crowd was really supportive, they were really excited. I’m just soaking everything in because I didn’t have any expectations.
The achievement became possible not only from the win, but thanks to losses to her nearest rivals, Aryna Sabalenka, Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari.
OTHER MIAMI OPEN ROUND OF 64 RESULTS:
Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) defeated [1] Aryna Sabalenka (-) 6-4 6-4
Ann Li (USA) defeated [3] Anett Kontaveit (EST) 6-0 3-6 6-4
Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) defeated [4] Maria Sakkari (GRE) 4-6 6-1 6-2
[5] Paula Badosa (ESP) defeated Marie Bouzkova (ESP) 7-5 7-5
Anna Kalinskaya (-) defeated [6] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6-3 6-3
[8] Ons Jabeur (TUN) defeated Magda Linette (POL) 7-6 6-2
[9] Danielle Collins (USA) defeated Anna Bondar (HUN) 6-3 3-6 6-4
Shelby Rogers (USA) defeated [10] Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 7-6
Katerina Siniakova (CZE) defeated [11] Emma Raducanu (GBR) 3-6 6-4 7-5
[12] Victoria Azarenka (-) defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova (-) 6-4 2-6 7-6
Naomi Osaka (JPN) defeated [13] Angelique Kerber (GER) 6-2 6-3
[14] Coco Gauff (USA) defeated Qiang Wang (CHN) 7-5 6-4
Heather Watson (GBR) defeated [15] Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4-6 6-3 7-6
[16] Jessica Pegula (USA) defeated Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-1 6-4
[17] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) 6-4 7-5
Karolina Muchova (CZE) defeated [18] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 6-4 7-6
Vera Zvonareva (-) defeated [19] Tamara Zidansek (SLO) 6-3 6-2
Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE) defeated [20] Elise Mertens (BEL) 7-5 2-6 6-1
[21] Veronika Kudermetova (-) defeated Dalma Galfi (HUN) 5-1 RET
[22] Belinda Bencic (SUI) defeated Marta Kostyuk (UKR) 6-3 6-1
Shuai Zhang (CHN) defeated [24] Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 6-1 6-1
Aliaksandra Sasnovich (-) defeated [25] Daria Kasatkina (-) 7-6 6-4
Anhelina Kalinina (UKR) defeated [26] Madison Keys (USA) 3-6 6-3 6-4
[28] Petra Kvitova (CZE) defeated Clara Burel (FRA) 6-1 3-6 6-3
Madison Brengle (USA) defeated [29] Liudmila Samsonova (-) 6-4 6-0
Alison Riske (USA) defeated [31] Alize Cornet (FRA) 6-2 6-2
Kaia Kanepi (EST) defeated [32] Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 3-6 7-5 6-0
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) defeated Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 6-3 4-6 7-5
Lauren Davis (USA) defeated Storm Sanders (AUS) 6-4 6-1
Daria Saville (AUS) defeated Harmony Tan (FRA) 6-4 6-2
Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) defeated Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-2 6-1
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