Champions Corner: The Swiatek mantra -- serve, win, trophy, repeat

Iga Swiatek has a knack for keeping statisticians busy. It was only last week she turned 23. She won her first Hologic WTA Tour title -- the 2020 French Open -- less than four years ago. On Saturday, after winning her fourth Roland Garros, she's now owns 22 career titles. Only four active players have more: Venus Williams (49), Petra Kvitova (31), Caroline Wozniacki (30) and Simona Halep (24).

In fact, only two other players in the Top 20 have won more than 10: Aryna Sabalenka (14) and Elina Svitolina (17). Sabalenka is three years older than Swiatek. Svitolina is six.

To assess and appreciate the sheer number of Swiatek's achievements and the breakneck pace at which she's achieving them, we have to look to the past and measure her against the game's greats. Here are just a few of the eye-opening numbers:

• The first player since Serena Williams to win three consecutive titles at a single Slam
• She lost the fewest games in the second week of a Slam since Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova
• She joined Monica Seles as the only player in the Open Era to win her first five Grand Slam finals. 

Want more? Swiatek's penchant for quick wins and 6-0 and 6-1 sets went from being a playful internet meme to national storylines.

"I never played a player that has this intensity before in my life," Jasmine Paolini said.

"I think to play her here, it's something different. She won already four titles, and she's still [23] years old. These numbers are not, let's say, normal. [They] are something unbelievable."

And as much as her runaway wins are her hallmark, Swiatek also proved her battle-tested resilience time and time again. Yes, she's the only woman other than Williams to sweep Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros in a single season. But she also came from match point down in two of those title runs, overcoming a pair of career-best performances from Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka. After losing 17 games to Osaka in the second round here, she lost 17 games the rest of the tournament. 

Those grand escapes have done just as much to bolster her reputation as a competitor than any breezy victory. With every physical victory, she's winning the mental game.

"I'll always try my best no matter what the score is," Swiatek said. "Sometimes it's going to add up like that. Sometimes I'm gonna lose. But when you're trying your best, it's always the best solution, because you have no regrets, and you can turn tournaments into something like that."

As she said those words, she pointed to the sparkling Coupe Suzanne Lenglen she had won … once again.

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Here's more from Paris as the year's second Grand Slam event came to a close.

Honor Roll

Jasmine Paolini: The 28-year-old Italian continued a breakthrough season by making it into her first Grand Slam finals in singles and doubles. Despite falling to Swiatek in the singles championship match, Paolini's speed, forehand and competitive grit impressed on a major stage for two weeks in Paris.

After making the fourth round at the Australian Open and winning the WTA 1000 Dubai title this year, Paolini remains a heavy contender for a spot at the year-end WTA Finals and will rise to a career-high placement of World No.7 (her Top 10 debut) in Monday's PIF WTA Rankings.

"I don't know which one is my next dream," Paolini said after the final. "But I'm enjoying the moment, I'm in the present, and I think it's nice to discover step by step."

Mirra Andreeva: Last season's WTA Newcomer of the Year, Andreeva is living up to that moniker in 2024. Andreeva, who just turned 17 in April, made her first Grand Slam semifinal -- and indeed her first semifinal at any tour-level event -- in Paris.

In only her fifth Grand Slam event, Andreeva became the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since 1997, when Martina Hingis was storming through the tour at age 16. The statistics go on from there. 

"[If] somebody would tell me in the beginning of the week, 'Well, you will be playing semifinals here,' I [would be] like, 'What? Stop joking," Andreeva said after her run ended. "That was something I didn't really expect, but I was just playing out there, trying my best."

Coco Gauff: Reigning US Open champion Gauff suffered a semifinal loss to Swiatek, but after making her third straight Grand Slam semifinal, the American will find herself at a career-high ranking of World No.2 on Monday. And also...

Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova: ...Gauff is now a Grand Slam doubles champion for the first time after pairing with Katerina Siniakova to take the women's doubles title at Roland Garros.

"I think it's just one of those things that when you least expect it to happen, it happens," Gauff said after the doubles final. "I think it's funny how life teaches you those lessons that sometimes it's better just to be relaxed and the good things will happen."

Racking up majors is nothing new for Siniakova, who won her third Roland Garros doubles title and her eighth Grand Slam doubles title overall.

Laura Siegemund: The 36-year-old German teamed with Édouard Roger-Vasselin to win the mixed doubles title in Paris. Siegemund has now won three Grand Slam doubles titles: two in mixed doubles and one in women's doubles. Good thing Vasselin sent a last-minute text.

Tereza Valentova and Renata Jamrichova: Valentova, 17, took charge at Junior Roland Garros this week. She beat her fellow Czech Laura Samson to win the junior singles title, then teamed with Slovakia's Jamrichova (this year's Junior Australian Open champion) to win the doubles.

Naomi Osaka: Five months into her comeback from maternity leave, the former World No.1 held a match point against Swiatek in their classic second-round clash and is set up extremely well for the second half of the year.

From the Camera Roll

Alizé Cornet received a send-off on Court Philippe Chatrier after the French veteran ended her professional career this fortnight.

Elina Svitolina was pumped as she made the Roland Garros Round of 16 for the sixth time in her career.

Qualifier Olga Danilovic collapsed in joy after winning a match-tiebreak to reach her first Grand Slam Round of 16.

Notable Numbers

3: Iga Swiatek is the first women’s player to win three consecutive titles at the French Open since Justine Henin between 2005 and 2007, and only the third player to do it in the Open Era (also Monica Seles from 1990 to 1992).

5: Swiatek is the second women’s player in the Open Era to go 5-0 in her first five Grand Slam singles finals. Monica Seles won her first six Grand Slam singles finals between 1990 and 1992. 

15: With Swiatek saving match point in the second round against Naomi Osaka, 2024 Roland Garros became the 15th occasion in the Open Era where a player won a Grand Slam title from match point down. Review them all here.

17: With her quarterfinal upset of No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva became the youngest player to beat an opponent ranked inside the Top 2 at a Grand Slam event since Jelena Dokic toppled World No.1 Martina Hingis in the first round of 1999 Wimbledon.

Hot Shot

At the end of another lengthy rally, Mirra Andreeva fired a forehand winner down the line to clinch a spot in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, then jumped for joy.

Next Up

Grass-court fans, your moment has come, as five weeks on the surface begins with two WTA 250 events starting Monday.

Grass season: Tournament schedule, entry lists and what you need to know

The 26th edition of the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands features World No.5 Jessica Pegula as its top seed, and two-time defending champion Ekaterina Alexandrova will go for the hat trick. Naomi Osaka and Elise Mertens will face off in a first-round clash.

And at the Rothesay Open in Nottingham, Great Britain, World No.8 Ons Jabeur tops the draw as the No.1 seed. Katie Boulter is back on home soil to try to defend her title, and her fellow Brit Emma Raducanu returns to tour by facing a qualifier in her first match.