Iga Swiatek has continued her winning form into the US Open after beating Emiliana Arango in dominant fashion.
Swiatek is coming off the back of winning the Cincinnati Open title, continuing her improved form after winning Wimbledon.
This enabled the Pole to climb back up to world number two in the WTA rankings, with Swiatek picked by Martina Navratilova to win the US Open.
While Swiatek’s latest victory may not have seemed very notable, it has actually enabled her to achieve a world record.
Iga Swiatek surpasses Monica Seles to break tennis world record
It has not always been the best season for Swiatek, who suffered a significant ranking drop after failing to win Roland Garros for the first time since 2021.
Despite not always being as dominant in terms of title victories, what Swiatek has maintained is her consistency.
After Swiatek beat Arango, 6-1 6-2, in just an hour on Arthur Ashe Stadium, it confirmed that she had broken a world record.
The six-time Grand Slam champion has now won her opening match at 65 consecutive tournaments.
As a result, Swiatek has now surpassed nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles as the only WTA player to achieve this feat in the Open Era.
The last time that Swiatek lost in her opening match at a tournament was actually during the North American hard court swing four years ago.
Ons Jabeur: The last player to beat Iga Swiatek in her opening match at a tournament
The last tournament where Swiatek lost in the opening match was actually at the Cincinnati Open, the event which she has just won for the first time.
At this stage in her career, Swiatek had just won one Grand Slam title and was just coming off the back of a disappointing campaign at the Tokyo Olympics.
As the sixth seed at the 2021 Cincinnati Open, Swiatek received a bye to the second round where she would await the winner of the match between Ons Jabeur and the now retired Anett Kontaveit.
Jabeur, who was at a career-high ranking of world number 20 at the time, came through that match to set up a meeting with Swiatek.
The Tunisian had beaten Swiatek at Wimbledon, and repeated that performance to knock her out in her first match at the Cincinnati Open, with Jabeur winning 6-3 6-3.
Both players have gone on to achieve much greater things since this match, and Swiatek has not lost her opening match at a tournament since then.
Swiatek will not need to worry about continuing this streak until after the US Open, with her next match coming against Suzan Lamens.
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