Iga Swiatek beats Alison Riske to become only fourth woman in 21st century to win 30 games in a row

World No 1 Iga Swiatek became only the fourth woman this century to record 30 straight victories as she breezed into the third round at the French Open on Thursday.

Swiatek's utter dominance in women's tennis has seen her win 44 of her last 45 sets, and her 6-0, 6-2 win over American Alison Riske pushed the 20-year-old one step closer to her second major title.

Her last loss came at the Dubai Duty Free Championships, against Jelena Ostapenko on February 16. Since, she has won five straight tournaments, the last two on clay, and lost just five sets – barely coming close to losing a match.

If she wins the title in Paris a week on Saturday, she will overtake Justine Henin's 32 and Serena Williams' 34-match streak, equalling Venus Williams' 35-match unbeaten run in 2000 – the longest since the turn of the century.

"I know how many matches I have won in a row, because you keep reminding me, basically," she told reporters of her 30-match milestone. "But I don't keep track."

The winning form is all the more impressive considering she has done it with the added pressure of taking over as the top-ranked player in the world. Ash Barty's shock retirement saw her jump to No 1 for the first time in her career earlier this year, and that kind of pressure would prompt a wobble from most 20-year-olds. But Swiatek is no ordinary athlete.

"I feel like I'm using my new position to put more pressure on my opponents," she said. "I'm pretty happy that I could convert it to a way that is really helpful. I feel like my confidence is better.

"I think all the work we have been doing, even last season, it finally clicked somehow. Last season it was a year for me where I really gained so much experience. This year I feel like I'm using it the right