Serena Williams hung her racquet after having an astounding career with 23 Grand Slam titles under her name. However, even after her departure, her legacy continues to live on. A new stat has come to light even as the Cincinnati Open is in full swing.
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The tennis legend Williams has done something that sensational players like Ashleigh Barty, or Victoria Azarenka have failed to do. Let’s dive into the story.
It takes a Serena Williams to defend!
Serena Williams is known as the ‘Queen of the Court’ for a reason. The tennis legend played her last professional tournament at last year’s US Open. However, that does not mean her records can be sidelined that quickly. This stands true as we see Williams’ record still going strong at the Cincinnati Open.
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 16, 2021 Serena Williams of the U.S. in action during her quarter final match against Romania’s Simona Halep REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
As deciphered by a tennis enthusiast on Twitter, in the last six editions of the Cincinnati Open, no player has defended their title. The last person to do so was Serena Williams in 2015. Since then, no one has been able to do so.
Garbine Muguruza could not defend her title in 2018, nor could Kiki Bertens in 2019. Then Madison Keys, Victoria Azarenka, and Ashleigh Barty too could not defend their title in the subsequent years.
Just one player (Serena Williams, 2014-15) has defended a women's singles title in Cincinnati in the Open era. https://t.co/MMH0Cwr4ZS
— Matt Trollope (@MattyAT) August 16, 2023
This year too, we saw Caroline Garcia not going beyond the second round of the tournament. This stat speaks of the invincibility of Serena Williams.
However, there is one player who is making big strides. She seems resilient enough to chase some of the most jaw-dropping records of Serena Williams.
Iga Swiatek is Serena Williams’ young challenger
Iga Swiatek has become the second player to notch up 117 wins in the span of two years after Serena Williams. After securing a place in the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open, the Polish player equalized Angelique Kerber’s record of 116 matches across two years.
So now she is in the league of Serena Williams who herself went on to win 130 matches in 2013 and 2014. Do you think Swiatek can equalize or even surpass that record this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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Written by
Edited by
Prateek Srivastava