Stat of the Day: Iga Swiatek is now 4-0 in Grand Slam finals after latest Roland Garros triumph

With her 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Karolina Muchova in the final of Roland Garros on Saturday, Iga Swiatek not only lifted the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the third time in her career (2020, 2022 and 2023), but it was also the fourth overall Grand Slam title of her career, with the Pole capturing the US Open title last year, too.

And there’s something even more special about her latest major triumph: Swiatek is now 4-0 in Grand Slam finals, making her just the third woman in the Open Era—and fourth player in the Open Era, male or female—to win their first four Grand Slam finals.

In her first three major finals, Swiatek defeated Sofia Kenin at 2020 Roland Garros (6-4, 6-1), Coco Gauff at 2022 Roland Garros (6-1, 6-3) and Ons Jabeur at the 2022 US Open (6-2, 7-6 (5)).

The 22-year-old world No. 1 joins Monica Seles, Roger Federer and Naomi Osaka in a very exclusive club.

PLAYERS TO WIN FIRST FOUR (OR MORE) MAJOR FINALS IN OPEN ERA:
~ Roger Federer: won first 7 [2003 Wimbledon, 2004 Australian Open, 2004 Wimbledon, 2004 US Open, 2005 Wimbledon, 2005 US Open, 2006 Australian Open]
~ Monica Seles: won first 6 [1990 Roland Garros, 1991 Australian Open, 1991 Roland Garros, 1991 US Open, 1992 Australian Open, 1992 Roland Garros]
~ Naomi Osaka: won first 4 so far [2018 US Open, 2019 Australian Open, 2020 US Open, 2021 Australian Open]
~ Iga Swiatek: won first 4 so far [2020 Roland Garros, 2022 Roland Garros, 2022 US Open, 2023 Roland Garros]

Federer and Seles finished their careers 20-11 and 9-4, respectively.

Swiatek was actually just a few games away from becoming the first player in the Open Era, male or female, to win their first four Grand Slam finals in straight sets, as she built a 6-2, 3-0 lead against Muchova.

Muchova had other ideas, though, charging back to take the second set and going up 2-0 in the third. And even after Swiatek got the break back, Muchova again went up a break in the decider at 4-3.

But Swiatek broke, held and broke one last time to close it out.

She crouched down on the terre battue afterwards, and in press she was asked what was going through her mind in that moment.

“I don’t know. At first I was surprised, because I saw all these matches of Karolina when she was actually coming back from scores like that, before the match point I wasn’t really thinking it’s going to happen now. I just kind of, I just played—I just gave it all. But I was a little bit surprised that it actually happened. She was always coming back.

“So I felt like, I don’t know, I don’t know what I felt. It’s hard to describe. But a lot of happiness. I felt suddenly tired of these three weeks. Maybe my matches weren’t physically exhausting, but it’s pretty hard to kind of keep your focus for these almost three weeks. And the whole swing. Since Stuttgart I haven’t been home. So I’m happy that, I don’t know, I finished the whole clay court swing so well, and that I kind of survived.

“I guess I’m never going to kind of doubt my strength again maybe because of that.”