Iga Swiatek becomes first player to qualify for WTA Finals 2024 after historic French Open triumph

Iga Swiatek has become the first player to book her spot at the 2024 WTA Finals after emerging victorious at the French Open. The Pole is the defending champion at the WTA Finals.

Swiatek was the top seed and two-time defending champion at the 2024 French Open and went into the tournament in the best form possible after twin triumphs at the WTA 1000 Madrid and Italian Open. She began her campaign with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win against French qualifier, Leolia Jeanjean.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka gave the Pole the run for her money in the second-round match. Osaka, who had not won a match against a top-10 player on clay, went toe-to-toe against Swiatek and had a match point to knock out the 21-year-old in the third set. But Swiatek's incredible grit and Osaka's under-pressure errors helped the former eke out a 7-6 (1),1-6,7-5 win.

Iga Swiatek went to a different level altogether after surviving a tough test against Osaka and did not give her next opponents any breathing room. She rammed past Marie Bouzkova (6-4, 6-2), Anastasia Potapova (6-0, 6-0), Marketa Vondrousova (6-0, 6-2), Coco Gauff (6-2, 6-4) and Jasmine Paolini (6-2, 6-1) en route to her fourth title on the Parisian clay.

With her victory at Roland Garros, the World No. 1 earned 2000 ranking points and ensured her berth at the year-end championships, the WTA Finals, which will be played from November 2 to 9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Swiatek currently has 7,335 ranking points for the calendar year, 165 points above the cut-off mark of 7170 points to qualify for the WTA Finals.

French Open was Iga Swiatek's fifth title on 2024 WTA Tour

Iga Swiatek at French Open

Iga Swiatek had a slow start to the season compared to her standards, as she suffered a surprise third-round exit at the Australian Open at the hands of Linda Noskova. She stepped up her level at the Qatar Open and successfully defended her title at the WTA 1000 tournament without dropping a set.

At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Swiatek endured another out-of-nowhere loss against Anna Kalinskaya. However, she recovered quickly and returned stronger at the Indian Wells Open, where she was at her flawless best en route to a second title in the Californian desert.

Then, in the clay swing, the Pole suffered only one loss in four tournaments (at the Stuttgart Open), winning three titles on the trot ( at Madrid, Rome, and Paris). In the second half of the 2024 WTA Tour, Swiatek has ample opportunities to increase her cushion at the summit of the WTA Ranking as she is only defending titles at the WTA 1000 China Open and the WTA Finals.