Paris, (Asian independent) World No 1 Iga Swiatek, who clinched the 2022 French Open singles title has revealed that she was pleasantly surprised to see Poland and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski in the crowd during her final game.
The Pole star won her second French Open title after defeating American teenager Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final on Saturday.
Following her win over Gauff, Swiatek immediately went up to the stands and hugged Poland and Bayern Munich footballer Robert Lewandowski who was there in the crowd to cheer Swiatek.
“I am happy that he is here, honestly. I do not know if he is a huge tennis fan or not. But I mean, Wow! He has been a top athlete in our country for so many years that it still feels like it is hard to believe that he came to watch me. Just overawed,” Swiatek said on meeting Lewandowski.
Swiatek, who took over as world number one when Australian Ash Barty announced her shock retirement in March, has now won 35 consecutive matches – matching the longest unbeaten streak since Venus Williams in 2000. If she manages to win her next match, she will hold the best winning streak of the century alone, and tie Monica Seles’s 36-match run from 1990. Another victory after that would tie her with Martina Hingis’s 37-match winning streak from 1997.
World No 1’s latest triumph was her sixth title of the year, all coming in a row during her winning streak (following Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Rome). She also became the first player to win six titles in a row since Justine Henin in 2007 and 2008.
The 21-year old also became the youngest woman to win multiple majors since Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam title aged 19 at the 2006 US Open.
