Iga Swiatek aims to emulate Serena Williams and close on Ashleigh Barty with 'Sunshine Double' at Miami Open

If 2020 was Iga Swiatek’s breakthrough year, and 2021 was a year to consolidate, then 2022 is looking like the year that the 20-year-old might start to dominate. Swiatek continued her hugely impressive start to the season with victory at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The new world No.

2 has now won 11 matches in a row, lifted back-to-back WTA 1000 titles after also winning the Qatar Open, and has a tour-leading tally of 20 wins for the year. Ad/> She has matched Agnieszka Radwanska as the highest-ranked Polish player of all time, and has the chance to make more history at the Miami Open this week. TennisRaducanu 'on track' to win more majors despite struggles, says Mouratoglou18 HOURS AGO For starters, Swiatek, who will be the second seed in Miami behind Aryna Sabalenka as the draw was done before the updated rankings, could complete the “Sunshine Double”.

The last woman to win Indian Wells and Miami Open back-to-back was Victoria Azarenka in 2016. The only other women to achieve the feat are Steffi Graf (1994 and 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2004). If Swiatek wins the Miami Open she will also be only the third player this century to win three WTA 100 tournaments in a row.

Serena Williams managed four in a row in 2013 (Miami, Madrid, Rome, Canada) and Martina Hingis won three consecutive titles in Canada, Moscow and Zurich in 2000. There is also the small matter of the world No. 1 ranking.

Barty will lose 1,000 points from her total at the end of the month as she is the defending champion at the Miami Open. That will leave her on 6,980 points after the tournament, and the maximum Swiatek can reach is 6,711 if she wins the title. “It’s pretty surreal for now,” said Swiatek about moving up to world No.