Iga Swiatek Racks Up 31st Straight Win As Title Rivals Crash

World number one Iga Swiatek racked up her 31st straight win to reach the French Open last 16 on Saturday but only after being tested by Danka Kovinic of Montenegro

World number one Iga Swiatek was the only top 10 seed left standing at the French Open on Saturday after racking up her 31st straight win as third seed Paula Badosa and seventh-ranked Aryna Sabalenka crashed out in the third round. Swiatek, the 2020 champion, dropped serve three times against 95th-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro before sealing a 6-3, 7-5 victory. Kovinic recovered from 1-4 down in the second set to lead 5-4 but the Pole steadied with a hold and a break before serving out for victory.

"I wanted to play really aggressively but sometimes I felt I was hitting with too much power and it was hard to control," said 20-year-old Swiatek.

Swiatek's winning streak is the best on tour since Serena Williams's 34 successive victories in 2013.

Swiatek next faces Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen who made the last 16 on her debut when French veteran Alize Cornet, playing in her 61st consecutive Grand Slam, retired with a leg injury, trailing 6-0, 3-0 after just 44 minutes.

Having stunned 2018 champion Simona Halep in the second round, Zheng becomes only the fourth Chinese woman to make the last 16 in Paris where compatriot Li Na won her landmark Slam title in 2011.