Iga Swiatek and a look at the best seasons this century

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Iga Swiatek fell in the semifinals of the WTA Finals, but nonetheless has been the best player on this year’s Hologic WTA Tour. And it’s not even close.

Her numbers have been dominant -- a 37-match win streak earlier this year, 67-9 (.881), two major championships, eight titles. Every week, it seems, she’s joining some of the game’s greatest players in categories that underline her excellence.

• Swiatek’s 30-plus weeks in her first run at No.1 is the fourth-longest such streak ever, after Stefanie Graf, Martina Hingis and Serena Williams.
• In the past 40 years, only Martina Navratilova and Graf (each with 17) won more consecutive matches against players in the Top 10 than Swiatek’s 15. The top-ranked player's streak ended Sunday in a loss against Aryna Sabalenka in Fort Worth.
• Swiatek is the first player to advance to the semifinals of the WTA Finals before turning 22 since Petra Kvitova in 2011.

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Swiatek is the first woman to win two majors in a single season -- Roland Garros and the US Open -- since Angelique Kerber took the Australian Open and US Open in 2016.

“I mean, her season is right up there with the best in this century,” Pam Shriver said before a Tennis Channel broadcast. “Iga’s played everybody they’ve put in front of her, which is all she can do.”

Shriver was impressed with Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak earlier this season, but came away from the US Open with even more admiration.

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“She had that aura about here when she was winning all those matches in a row,” Shriver said. “But I thought she was vulnerable going into the US Open. She didn’t like the balls, and she wasn’t afraid to say so. And she went on to win the tournament not playing her best.

“That’s a signature of the great players.”

How great?

Here’s a look at our Top 10 list of the best seasons this century,  in chronological order: 

Venus Williams, 2000

Majors: Wimbledon and the US Open

Overall titles: 6

Win-loss: 41-4 (.911)

Note: Williams also won singles and doubles at the Olympics with younger sister Serena. Venus and Serena also won the Wimbledon doubles title.

Venus Williams, 2001

Majors: Wimbledon and the US Open

Overall titles: 6

Win-loss: 62-9 (.873)

Note: Williams would win more matches in six different seasons, but this was her best winning percentage of her career.

Serena Williams, 2002

Majors: Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open

Overall titles: 8

Win-loss: 56-5 (.918)

Note: In winning the 2003 Australian Open, she would hold all four major trophies simultaneously.

Justine Henin, 2007

Majors: Roland Garros, US Open

Overall titles: 10

Win-loss: 63-4 (.940)

Note: Henin also won the WTA Finals for the second consecutive season.

Serena Williams, 2009

Majors: Australian Open, Wimbledon

Titles: 3

Win-loss: 50-13 (.794)

Note: After suffering a string of injuries, this was the first time in six years she collected two majors, something she would then achieve in five of seven years. Serena also won the WTA Finals for the second time.

Serena Williams, 2012

Majors: Wimbledon, US Open

Overall titles: 7

Win-loss: 58-6 (.906)

Note: This is the only time this century a player collected two majors -- plus a WTA Finals championship and Olympic gold.

Serena Williams, 2013

Majors: Roland Garros, US Open

Overall titles: 11

Win-loss: 78-5 (.940)

Note: This might be considered her best season of her career because it was one of the few times she played consistently through the entire season. This is the most victories she achieved in a season -- 20 more than her next-highest total, 58 from 2012. Serena won the WTA Finals to close the year.

Serena Williams, 2015

Majors: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon

Overall titles: 5

Win-loss: 53-6 (.898)

Note: By previously winning the 2014 US Open, she secured the second Serena Slam of her career.

Angelique Kerber, 2016

Majors: Australian Open, US Open

Overall titles: 3

Win-loss: 63-20 (.759)

Note: Before Swiatek, Kerber was the last woman to win two majors in a single season.

Iga Swiatek, 2022

Majors: Roland Garros, US Open

Overall titles: 8

Win-loss: 67-9

Note: Swiatek will end the season ranked No.1 for the first time in her career.