Iga Swiatek has joined a club only previously occupied by a five-time Wimbledon champion.
The World number one clinched her spot in the second round after defeating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-4.
This was a potential stumbling block for the Pole given her lack of grass court matches before arriving at SW19 and the American’s experience beating top players early in majors.
But the 23-year-old had won her previous two encounters against Kenin and Tuesday’s victory marked her third.
Swiatek is striving for the form that took her to a fourth French Open title just under a month ago and she has made a promising start to her latest Wimbledon campaign.
Iga Swiatek matches Venus Williams feat after Wimbledon first round win
Swiatek is no stranger to long winning streaks as she won her 20th successive match by beating Kenin.
She won 41 of 57 points and hit six aces on the way to claiming her 72nd Grand Slam singles wins since the start of the century, more than any other player.
As a result, she joins Venus Williams as the only active players to record 20 wins in a row on multiple occasions.
In 2022, Swiatek registered the WTA Tour’s longest win streak in the 21st century when she went 37 matches unbeaten, before losing to Alize Cornet in the Wimbledon fourth round.
What were Venus Williams’ multiple 20-match win streaks?
In 2000, Williams had an excellent season during which she went 35 matches unbeaten.
This streak took place between Wimbledon and Linz and in total she won five consecutive tournaments: Stanford, San Diego, New Haven and her maiden Wimbledon and US Open titles.
These title wins preceded her gold medal triumphs in both singles and doubles and at the Sydney Olympic Games.
In 2002, Williams claimed 20 match wins in a row and was aiming for a 21st when she took on sister Serena in the Wimbledon final.
The younger Williams sibling claimed a 7–6, 6–3 win to end her sister’s streak and win the first of her seven singles titles at SW19.
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