WUHAN — Iga Swiatek has overtaken Serena Williams for the outright seventh-most wins in WTA 1000 history after opening her Wuhan Open campaign with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over fellow Pole Magdalena Frech at the WTA 1000 event in China.
According to OptaAce, the win was Swiatek's 149th in WTA 1000 tournaments since the format's introduction in 2009, moving her clear of Williams on 148. The seventh seed, who received a first-round bye, needed one hour and 43 minutes to secure victory and will now face the winner of Ashlyn Krueger and Lanlana Tararudee in the round of 16. It is another landmark for the six-time Grand Slam champion, who has now recorded 40 or more wins for a fifth consecutive season despite admitting this has been her toughest campaign yet.
The result keeps Swiatek's push for the WTA Finals alive. The 25-year-old sits 10th in the Race to the WTA Finals, with only the top eight qualifying for Indian Wells, and is set to play the Ningbo Open later this month for the first time as she chases points. Four places have already been secured by Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova, with American duo Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff expected to join them and leave just two spots remaining.
Swiatek received an early boost in Wuhan as rival contender Marta Kostyuk lost her opening match, denting her hopes alongside fellow contenders Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova. Both Svitolina and Muchova have reached the last 16, however, and with the pair sitting sixth and seventh respectively in the Race, their progress remains bad news for Swiatek in 10th as the battle for Indian Wells intensifies.