The much anticipated Iga Swiatek vs Naomi Osaka Miami Open final did not live up to its billing as Swiatek romped past the Japanese to win the title in straight sets.
The soon-to-be confirmed world no.1 won the match 6-4, 6-0, completely outclassing her opponent.
Swiatek’s prowess on returns was there for everyone to see from the first game of the match with Osaka having to save two break points and withstanding seven deuces before holding.
A handful of close games followed before Swiatek inevitably claimed the first break of the day with a backhand cross-court winner to take a 3-2 lead.
The break proved to be the deciding moment of the clash, as Swiatek marched to the one-set lead despite Osaka’s best returns from deep inside the court.
Swiatek kept the momentum going as the second set began, breaking Osaka right away with aggressive returns of her own.
The Pole reeled off the last seven games of the match to extend her stunning winning streak to 17 matches after a 1-hour and 17-minute affair.
Her dominance against a former world no.1 was such that Swiatek never faced a break point in the match, and prevailed on exactly two-thirds of Osaka’s second-service points (20 for 30).
With her win, Swiatek joins an exclusive club by becoming only the fourth woman to win the “Sunshine Double” — titles at WTA 1000 Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. However, Swiatek 20, is the youngest woman to pull off the feat.
All of her last 17 wins have come at the first three WTA 1000 events of the season. The Pole swept the titles at WTA 1000 Doha, Indian Wells, and now Miami, joining Serena Williams (2013 – Miami, Madrid, Rome, Toronto) and Caroline Wozniacki (2010 – Montréal, Tokyo, Beijing) as the only players to win three or more consecutive WTA 1000 titles in a single season.
But Swiatek stands alone as the first player to win the first three WTA 1000 tournaments in a season. Overall, it is her fourth career WTA 1000 title, and the sixth WTA Tour singles title of her already outstanding career thus far.
Moreover, Swiatek becomes the first player to win 17 consecutive matches on hard courts in a single calendar year since Serena Williams won 20 straight hard-court matches between the Australian Open and Toronto in 2015.
Iga Swiatek vs Naomi Osaka rivalry stands at one game apiece after this final with Osaka prevailing at 2019 Toronto in the pairs only meeting before.
