On Saturday, October 10, 2020, Polish teenager Iga Swiatek defeated American Sofia Kenin in the women’s singles final of the French Open to lift the title.
She did it in style, creating a number of records.
Teenage triumph
At 19 years and 132 days, Swiatek is the youngest woman to win the French Open since 1992. Monica Seles was 18 years and 187 days old when she won the women’s single title at the 1992 French Open.
Among male and female players, Swiatek is the youngest to win at Roland Garros since 2005. Rafael Nadal picked up the first of his 13 French Open men’s singles titles as a 19-year old in 2005.
A first for poland
By winning the 2020 French Open women’s singles title, Swiatek became the first Polish player, female or male, to win a singles major title in tennis history, if we take doubles into consideration as well, she has some company from her compatriots. Following Wojtek Fibak (men’s doubles at 1978 Australian Open) and Lukasz Kubot (men’s doubles at 2014 Australian Open and 2017 Wimbledon), she is the third Polish player to win a Grand Slam event in the Open Era (1968 onwards), singles or doubles.
Unseeded starter, title winner
Swiatek is only the second unseeded woman to win the French Open in the Open Era, Jelena Ostapenko was the first – a feat she achieved at the 2017 French Open.
Winning without dropping a set
Following in the footsteps of Evonne Goolagong (1971), Chris Evert (1974) and Steffi Graf (1988). Swiatek became just the fourth teenager in the Open Era to win the French Open women’s singles title without dropping a single set! If we are to look at records irrespective of age. Swiatek is the first such winner at Roland Garros since Justine Henin won the title in 2007 without dropping a set.
In the last 30 years, only two other players have managed to win women’s singles Grand Slam titles as a teenager without dropping a set Monica Seles won the 1992 US Open that way, while Martina Hingis claimed the Australian Open and US Open in 1997 that way.
Picture Credit : Google
