Miami Open: Swiatek beats Osaka, becomes first Pole to reach No. 1
Swiatek has won 17 matches in a row and three consecutive WTA 1000 titles after trophies at Doha and Indian Wells.
Red and white Polish flags waved from every section of Stadium Court at the Miami Open on a sunny Saturday afternoon as incoming world No. 1 Iga Swiatek continued her dominance of women’s tennis this season with a 6-4, 6-0 win over former No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the championship.
Swiatek has won 17 matches in a row and three consecutive WTA 1000 titles after trophies at Doha and Indian Wells.
She is the fourth woman in history, and the youngest, to capture the “Sunshine Double” (Indian Wells and Miami), following Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka.
On Monday, the humble, congenial 20-year-old will replace retired Ashleigh Barty as No. 1 in the world rankings, the first Polish player, male or female, to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
She won the Miami Open without dropping a set and extended her win streak in finals to six in a row over the past three seasons. Asked if she sees the No. 1 player in the world when she wakes up and looks in the mirror, she smiled and said:
“When I wake up and look in the mirror, I see a mess. [laughter] I’m still the same person, the same Iga, and I want to stay that way. I don’t want the success to change me in a negative way.” Most of the news surrounding Poland in recent weeks has been about the 3 million Ukrainians who have fled the Russian invasion and taken refuge in Poland.
The situation back home has been on Swiatek’s mind during her rise to the top of tennis. “I am really proud [of Poland taking in refugees], the thing is I have been in Poland only five days [recently], but it hit me all the things that are happening,” she said. “It’s hard to feel the same things they are when I’m in the States, but I’m going to go back now and catch up with my friends and family, but I am happy they are supporting Ukrainians and hopefully my tennis can give them a little bit of joy.”
She said it was “overwhelming” to see so many Polish flags in the stands and that she plans to use her position in future months to help the cause. Swiatek took a moment during her postmatch speech to say: “As I was doing in my previous speeches at Doha and Indian Wells, I want to say to Ukraine to stay strong. Hopefully, everything’s going to get better.” Later, she said she hopes she and Hubert Hurkacz, who won the Miami Open men’s doubles title with John Isner on Saturday, will inspire young Polish athletes.
