She was the last player to ever bagel Iga Swiatek on a hard court but then retired three years later

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Iga Swiatek has become one of the most dominant players on the WTA Tour over recent years.

Five-times a Grand Slam champion, Swiatek is the most successful active player in women’s tennis.

The Polish WTA star has won four French Open titles, the US Open in 2022, and spent a staggering 125 weeks as world number one.

Swiatek lost in the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this month, but was just a point away from reaching the final, as she achieved her career-best performance in Melbourne.

Ahead of her last four encounter with Madison Keys, Swiatek had dominated down under, dropping just 14 games in her first five matches.

Dominance that fans of the 23-year-old have come to expect, as Swiatek often hands out ‘bagels’ (6-0 sets), and breadsticks (6-1 sets) on the WTA Tour.

During her semi-final match in Melbourne, Swiatek lost the second set to Keys 6-1, a rare sight to see on a hard court, but when was the last time she failed to pick up a single game in a set?

Garbine Muguruza: The last woman to win a set 6-0 against Iga Swiatek on hard courts

1,423 days have passed since Swiatek last lost a set 6-0 on hard courts.

Nearly four years ago, the Polish star took on two-time Major champion Garbine Muguruza in the last 16 of the Dubai WTA 1000 event.

The Spaniard was enjoying somewhat of a career resurgence during the early months of the 2021 season, narrowly losing out to eventual champion Naomi Osaka in Melbourne, and enjoying deep runs in several WTA tournaments.

Swiatek herself was in good form, having just won the Adelaide International without dropping a set, two weeks earlier.

The stage was set for a thrilling clash in the Middle East, as the pair took to the court for their third-round match.

However, in a shocking turn of events, the Spaniard dominated during the early stages, as the Pole’s serve deserted her.

Muguruza broke in the first game and never looked back as she won the first set 6-0, handing Swiatek a rare ‘bagel’.

The young Pole regained her composure in the second, but was unable to take things to a decider as she lost to Muguruza 0-6, 4-6.

Looking at the statistics, it’s clear to see where Swiatek lost the match, as her serve proved unreliable throughout.

Muguruza was able to capitalize on her big win over Swiatek as she went on to win the title in Dubai, taking down several of the WTA Tour’s biggest names along the way.

• QF – Beat [3] Aryna Sabalenka, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
• SF – Beat [10] Elise Mertens, 6-4, 7-6
• F – Beat Barbora Krejcikova, 7-6, 6-3

What happened to Garbine Muguruza after she beat Iga Swiatek 6-0, 6-4, in 2021?

Fresh off a successful visit to Dubai, Muguruza continued her good form throughout 2021, making a return to the top-ten in July.

A second title of 2021 came in Chicago during the latter stages of the year, confirming her spot in the WTA Finals for the fourth time in her career.

Having snapped Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit’s 12-match winning streak in the round-robin stage, Muguruza beat her once more in the final, as she took home the trophy in Mexico for the first time.

With her win over Kontaveit, Muguruza rose to third in the world rankings ahead of the 2022 season.

It was then that she began to struggle, however, as the Spaniard won just 12 matches in 2022, her final victories as a professional player.

She finished the year ranked 55th in the world, her lowest year-end ranking in nine years.

After losing her opening round matches in four tournaments to kick off 2023, Muguruza announced her hiatus from tennis.

She had initially planned to return later in the season, but in October revealed that she had ‘no intention’ of returning to the sport as she was enjoying her time away.

In 2024 she formally announced her retirement from tennis, putting an end to a 12-year career that saw her win the 2016 French Open, and 2017 Wimbledon titles.

Following retirement, Muguruza was named as the tournament director for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, which were won by Coco Gauff in 2024.

Her career may have come to an early end, but that’s not to say that she didn’t accomplish a lot during her time in the sport.

Twice a Grand Slam winner, a WTA Finals champion, a world number one, and the last player to hand Swiatek a hard-court bagel, Muguruza’s tennis legacy is one for the ages.