10 incredible things Iga Swiatek achieved by winning Roland Garros 2023

It wasn’t easy—she saved set point in the second set against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semifinals, then twice came back from a break down in the third against Karolina Muchova in the final—but Iga Swiatek emerged as the queen of Roland Garros once again this year, adding the 2023 title to previous titles in 2020 and 2022 (and to her 2022 US Open title).

Here are 10 incredible things the now-four-time Grand Slam champion achieved with her latest triumph on the terre battue:

1. She’s now 4-0 in Grand Slam finals. She’s just the fourth player in the Open Era to win their first four major finals, after Monica Seles (who won her first six), Roger Federer (who won his first seven) and Naomi Osaka (who has also won her first four).
2. She’s the first woman in the Open Era to win the first seven sets she played in Grand Slam finals. Going into this year’s Roland Garros final, Swiatek was one of only two women in the Open Era to win their first three major finals in straight sets, alongside Lindsay Davenport—Davenport lost her fourth major final in straight sets, though, and Swiatek won the first set (and eventually the third set) of her fourth major final.
3. She’s the fifth active player with four (or more) Grand Slam titles, alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka. And at age 22, she’s actually one of only two players currently under 35, male or female, to have won four or more Grand Slam titles, along with the 25-year-old Osaka.
4. She’s the youngest woman to win four Grand Slam titles since Serena Williams. Serena was 20 when she won her fourth major at the 2002 US Open.
5. She’s the youngest woman to win consecutive Roland Garros titles since Monica Seles. Seles won three straight titles in Paris at age 16, 17 and 18 in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
6. Her 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Muchova in the final was her tour-leading 35th win of the year. She went into the final tied with Aryna Sabalenka at 34.
7. She actually became the first Top 3 player ever to beat Muchova. The Czech was 5-0 in her career against No. 1s, No. 2s and No. 3s going into the final, including a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 semifinal upset over No. 2-ranked Sabalenka two days earlier.
8. She now has the second-best career winning percentage at Roland Garros for a woman in the Open Era. She’s 93.3% at the event (28-2), only bettered by Margaret Court’s 95.2% (20-1).
9. She’s just the second woman in the last 25 years to successfully defend her title at Roland Garros. Justine Henin also achieved the feat, winning three titles in a row in Paris in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
10. And finally, for the first time since she got to No. 1 last April, her top ranking was under threat at Roland Garros—and she passed the test with flying colors. With Sabalenka reaching the semifinals, Swiatek needed to reach the final to keep No. 1—she not only reached the final, she won the title, too. Swiatek now has a 928-point lead over No. 2 Sabalenka, with only 270 points to defend until the US Open. Sabalenka has 556 points to defend until then.