Witness Greatness

A stacked slate of sports for Saturday.  A day consisting of Liverpool v Chelsea, two NFL playoff games, and even a Kentucky basketball game.  With all of this action, I have my eyes set on one match.

Iga Świątek vs. Elena Rybakina

#1 vs. #25** in the world.  

Fourth Round of The Australian Open

8:30 PM tonight (probably won't start until 9/9:30pm) @ Rod Laver Arena

2022 US Open Champion vs. 2022 Wimbledon Champion

*The WTA, ATP, and ITF didn't award points for the Wimbledon Championships last year after the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing.  Instead of having Russian and Belarusian players protesting the invasion of Ukraine on a global stage, which they have done countless times since the start of the war, Wimbledon cowered to the pressure brought by literally no one*  **Seeded #22 for this tournament but is ranked #25 in the WTA rankings**

But I digress.

The Rise

Iga Świątek (pronounced shvi-AHN-teck), a 21 year-old tennis star from Poland, took over the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour by storm last summer.  However, Świątek made her first splash in the tennis world after the 6-month pause of the WTA Tour following the outbreak of Covid-19.  Competitions resumed with the US Open in August-September of 2020.  The then 19-year old faces two-time Grand Slam champion and former #1 in the world, Victoria Azarenka.  Ultimately, Świątek is defeated in the third round.  Normally, the end of the Grand Slam season.  However, due to the pandemic’s effect on the season, Roland Garros rescheduled the illustrious French Open to take place after the US Open.  

With players complaining about the weather conditions, cold and rainy, some competitors may have found
themselves out of their element.  But not the 19-year old from Poland.  On a chilly French Saturday afternoon, a new champion is crowned.  Iga Świątek, at 19-years old, becomes Poland’s first Grand Slam champion.  Younger than Chris Evert, Venus Williams, and Naomi Osaka when they won their first major championship. Świątek didn’t just win, Iga dominated.  Never losing more than 5 games in a single match en route to her first major championship.

In the 2021 campaign, Świątek comes up empty in the Grand Slams, but continues to add to her trophy case.  Becoming the 4th teenager to ever win a WTA 1000 event (think of The Players Championship on the PGA Tour).  Where champions are awarded 1000 points, hence the name, compared to the 2000 won at the four Grand Slams.  Climbing up to #4 in the world.  Without a major victory, Świątek was the only player on the WTA to reach the second week at all four Slams.  Consistency.

A Grand Opportunity

After winning the 2022 Australian Open, the native Ashleigh Barty and WTA world #1 shockingly announces her retirement at just 25-years old.  All of a sudden, there’s a power vacuum on the Women's Tour.  Who will fill the void?   

Following the semifinal loss in the 2022 Australian Open, Świątek proceeds to take advantage of the aperture.  Winning back-to-back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments.  No player has ever won the first three WTA 1000 events of the year.  A feat that not even the great Serena Williams accomplished.  But more importantly, the new #1 in the world is Iga Świątek.  A momentous achievement.

Świątek proceeds to extend her tournament winning streak to five, including the Italian Open, bringing her WTA 1000 total to four on the season.  Coming into the 2022 French Open on a 28-match winning streak. If Świątek manages to win the French Open, all doubt will be squashed as to who runs the tour.  Similarly to Novak coming back to the ATP tour halfway through the season, and following the clay court season, to be the first player on the ATP Tour in the 2022 season to win on all three surfaces in just 3 months. 

The French Open final is set.  A showdown between 18-year old Coco Gauff and 21-year old Iga Świątek.  Gauff has been knocking on the door since she bursted into Wimbledon at the shocking age of 15.  Gauff's first Grand Slam final.  If Gauff triumphs, it will signify her arrival and will add another name vying for the title of world’s best. The now 21-year old and world #1 does it.  Świątek defeats Gauff 6-1 6-3.  The Pole only drops one set in a Grand Slam to extend her match winning streak to a staggering 35-games.  Something that only Venus Williams accomplished in 2000.

In her next tournament, Iga loses in the third round, ending her tournament win streak in addition to her  match win streak at 37-matches.  The longest streak of the 21st century.  Longer than Maria Sharapova, Venus, or even the great Serena Williams ever managed to accomplish.  Iga Świątek is not just dominating the current tour, she’s breaking the records of tennis legends.

After finding no success in the tournaments leading up to the 2022 US Open, the world #1 is looking to end the Grand Slam season on a high and historic note.  

If there was any doubt, Iga destroyed it like she did her competition.  Winning in straight sets against Ons Jabeur 6-2 7-6 (7-5).  A lethal concoction of accuracy, aggression, composure, consistency, and just enough power to paint winners all over the court.  To show how dominant Iga Świątek has been up until this point in the 2022 season, following the win, Świątek had 10,365 points.  Jabeur sat in second place with 5,090.  More than double Iga's closest competition.  Levels. 

The world #1 proceeds to finish the 2022 tour season with 11,085 points WTA points.  Second only to Serena Williams' record of 13,260 in 2013.  Świątek finishes the 2022 season with a 67-9 record.  The most wins in a single season since Serena in 2013.  We are witnessing history. 

The Third Conquest

This leads us to today.  #1 Świątek vs. #22-seeded Rybakina.  A birth to the quarter final is on the line.  As good as Świątek is, as much as I have raved about her, this will be a battle.  Unfortunately for the women competitors, the WTA only plays three sets compared to the men’s five sets.  This allows very little room for error.  For example, during his 2022 Wimbledon Championship run, Novak Djokovic dropped the opening two sets in the Quarter Finals.  In a three-set match, Djokovic goes home.  This is in part one of the reasons for the high turnover on the women’s tour and what makes Iga Świątek's 2022 season so impressive.  Can Świątek continue her quest to conquer Melbourne?  Winning her third different Grand Slam and fourth overall?

Who knows what the future holds.  We saw injuries derail Andy Murray’s career.  Pregnancies, something that the ATP player's don’t have to worry about, ultimately pushed Ash Barty into retirement and is currently forcing Naomi Osaka to miss the 2023 season.  It’s important to not only enjoy the moment, but also to understand the greatness we are in the middle of experiencing.  

The two reigning Grand Slam champions set square off to decide who runs the WTA Tour.  I can't wait for 8:30* PM tonight.  



*Estimated time.  Actual time will be around 9/9:30pm most likely*


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Day of Mourning, Remembrance, & Celebration

Image
February 5th, 2012 The day I fell in love with Tom Brady.  Preparing to watch Super Bowl XLVI with friends, I watched as Tom Brady emerged from the tunnel.  I said something to the effect of, "that's Jesus on a football field."  Not proud of the heretical statement, but the point stands.  Watching Tom Brady take the field that night was one of the most impactful moments in all my years of being a sports fan.  A night that ultimately ended in disappointment.  But I didn't care, I was hooked.  The Super Bowl loss to the New York Football Giants, leading to a loss to Joe Flacco in the AFC championship game during his  elite  run, and followed by an unbearable loss to the Peyton-led Broncos.  Three years of disappointments and my reverence for #12 did not waiver.  At 37, the Patriots got blown out at Arrowhead in the infamous 2014 loss to the Chiefs.  On the Monday Night Football postgame coverage following the game, Trent Dilfer dubbed Brady and the Patriots "not go
Read more

Battle of THE Blue Bloods

Image
I was in Rupp Arena for the 2017 clash between #2 Kansas & #4 Kentucky.  The atmosphere was everything you could want for a top-5 matchup between two winningest programs in NCAA Men's Basketball history.  Then, Kentucky at #1 all-time with Kansas being a close second and gaining.  What ended in a 79-73 loss for Kentucky, was still a great game.  Kentucky shot out to an early lead with a second-half back and forth, ultimately leading to Kansas pulling away late.  I left disappointed, but Fox, Monk, and Bam put on a show.  Both teams left feeling like they were National Championship contenders.  Today, the Jayhawks flock back to the Bluegrass.  Entering Rupp as the all-time wins leader with 2,357 compared to Kentucky's 2,353 victories. A few weeks ago, this was a game that Kentucky fans, like myself, were dreading.  Was this going to be another national embarrassment of the recent Coach Cal era?  After getting run off the court in Tuscaloosa only to be followed up by a Quad-4
Read more

The Future of Fitness

Image
Yesterday, I went for a bike ride around Lake Lungern in Switzerland, pictured above. Over 4,000 miles away, with the Atlantic Ocean in between, I was able to ride through one of the most beautiful towns in the world.  How?  Thanks to the incredible innovation from companies like Peloton, NordicTrack, and iFit. What was once an ordinary stationary bike or treadmill, trapped in a corner of a gym or stuck in a poorly ventilated basement, has been transformed into a limitless portal.  A ride of 9.36 miles for 41-minutes.  What should have been a debilitating iteration of iFit's "Around the World Challenge", the ride with trainer Ashley Paulson was a breeze.  In fact, it didn't feel like a workout at all. Instead, it felt like I was transferred in to a daydream, a fairytale.  Passing through the lush green grass and classical Swiss chalet farmhouses, entering the historical town of Lungren, circumnavigating the pristine turquoise-cyan lake, all nestled within the high val
Read more