Polish trailblazer Iga Swiatek to rise to No. 1 on WTA rankings after Miami

With her 6-2, 6-0 win over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in her opening match in Miami tonight, 20-year-old Iga Swiatek of Poland has assured herself of rising to No. 1 on the WTA rankings on April 4th, 2022, the Monday after the tournament.

That’s also the day the current No. 1, Ashleigh Barty, who announced her retirement from professional tennis this week, will have her name taken off the WTA rankings.

Swiatek had only just risen to No. 2 this past Monday, after winning Indian Wells.

“Winning Indian Wells and being second, it was already a lot to handle. Right now being first, it just shows how sport is going faster and faster right now,” she said.

“So we have to keep up, for sure. We have to do the work right now for me to stay in that position and play the same tennis I’ve been playing for a few months. I think it’s possible for us, because we have been working hard for that.”

Swiatek, who burst into prominence by winning her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2020 when the event was held in the fall, had a strong follow-up season in 2021, becoming the only woman to reach the second week of all four majors, as well as picking up another two titles in Adelaide (a WTA 500) and Rome (a WTA 1000).

And she’s gotten off to an even stronger start to 2022, highlighted by back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at her last two events in Doha and Indian Wells, which propelled her to her current ranking of No. 2. Earlier in the year, she reached her second Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, and another semifinal in Adelaide.

Now, with her opening win in Miami, yet another career milestone: No. 1.

Swiatek will make history in two ways with her ascent to the top spot—not only will she become the first player from Poland to do it (male or female), she’ll also become the first player born in the 2000s to achieve the feat (male or female).

HIGHEST-RANKED PLAYERS FROM POLAND IN ATP OR WTA RANKINGS HISTORY
~ Iga Swiatek (No. 1 on WTA rankings on April 4th, 2022)
~ Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 2 on WTA rankings in 2012, 2016)
~ Hubert Hurkacz (No. 9 on ATP rankings in 2021, 2022)
~ Wojtek Fibak (No. 10 on ATP rankings in 1977)

HIGHEST-RANKED PLAYERS BORN IN 2000s IN ATP OR WTA RANKINGS HISTORY
~ Iga Swiatek, born in 2001 (No. 1 on WTA rankings on April 4th, 2022)
~ Bianca Andreescu, born in 2000 (No. 4 on WTA rankings in 2019)
~ Jannik Sinner, born in 2001 (No. 9 on ATP rankings in 2021)
~ Felix Auger-Aliassime, born in 2000 (No. 9 on ATP rankings in 2022)