Swiatek calls French Open win 'something special
For 68 minutes, Iga Swiatek captivated the tennis world.

On Saturday, her blistering, athletic play dismantled teenage phenom Coco Gauff, 6-1, 6-3, and Swiatek emerged as the women's singles champion at the 2022 French Open.

She took the first four games of the match and never looked back.

It marked Swiatek's second major title and her 35th straight victory -- tying her with Venus Williams for the longest WTA winning streak of this millennium.She hasn't lost a match since Feb. 16.

"To have that kind of streak, I needed everything," she told NBC's Maria Taylor on Saturday. "I needed to be there mentally, [and also] physically to be ready because I had many long matches during all this time. Tennis-wise, I needed to be more aggressive, and I finally realized how to do that. It's all coming together."

Swiatek, who turned 21 earlier this week, won five titles this year before the French Open, including four at the 1000 level. She took over the No. 1 ranking in early April and now has nearly twice as many points as anyone else.

"What you've done on tour the past couple of months has truly been amazing, and you totally deserve it," a tearful Gauff said during the on-court trophy presentation. "Hopefully we can play each other in more finals and I can get a win over you one of these days."

When Swiatek arrived in Paris two years ago, she was a virtual unknown. She entered the tournament ranked No. 54 but stunned the field and left as the champion.

Less than two years later, Swiatek leaves Paris as the dominant force in women's tennis, and one who is poised for future greatness. It seems as though the WTA has found the elusive superstar talent who can consistently contend for major titles on different surfaces -- and do what so few have been able to do since Serena Williams was in her prime.

"She's kind of hit another level than all of us right now," said Jessica Pegula, who lost to Swiatek in the quarterfinals. "Yeah, it's a little scary."

Fear is not an unusual emotion for Swiatek's opponents these days.
Before play got underway in Paris, Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, told reporters she had a dream in which the draw came out and she had to play Swiatek in the first round.

"I was scared because I was thinking, like [who's] the worst possible player to play when I'm unseeded," Osaka said. "She came in my mind. Thank God that didn't happen."

Congratulations to her. Her streak deserves the title.