Dedicated to chronicling and objectively analyzing everything about 2 generational stars: Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz | Hosts:
@vanshv2k
and
@damiankust
Iga Swiatek is 102-15 since the start of the 2022 season with Double Digit Titles in that span.
Carlos Alcaraz is 102-17 since the completion of the 2021 Paris Masters with Double Digit Titles in that span.
Long May this show continue!
Iga's shortest tour-level match (40 minutes) as she takes down Potapova 6-0 6-0, first double bagel win since... Roland Garros last year against Xinyu Wang.
Extremely clean and efficient today (13 winners to 2 unforced errors) with Potapova only managing 10 points to Iga's 48.
Unstoppable. Iga Świątek is now 38-4 in 2024 and wins Madrid/Rome b2b as the 1st player to do it since the events got expanded. Will go into Roland Garros as the two-time defending champion and on a 12-match win streak.
WTA Race
5335 - Świątek
3928 - Sabalenka
3583 - Rybakina
The overreactions online whenever Iga and Carlos lose a tennis match are just crazy 😂
I guess this is also a compliment to both of these generational talents. They are both victims of their success and insane achievements so far.
WTA Race standings after this week:
3335 - Świątek
3193 - Rybakina
2628 - Sabalenka
Both Świątek and Rybakina are 26-4 for the year, Iga with two 1000 titles (Doha, Indian Wells), Elena with three 500 titles (Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Stuttgart). Their H2H in 2024 is tied as well.
Carlos: Hey Iga, did you see there is a podcast a couple people started about us
Iga: Yeah, I saw that. That’s pretty cool. Hopefully we can both lift that trophy on Sunday.
Świątek drops 9 points in the 2nd set to avenge her Noskova defeat from Melbourne.
The 19yo threatened to go 5-2 double break up in the opener, but Iga came up with some of her best stuff to fend off 3 BPs. Getting rushed at first, but calm and collected when it mattered most.
Iga Swiatek is now 9th in all-time weeks at World No. 1 having held the top spot for 99 weeks.
Just moved ahead of Lindsay Davenport who was number 1 for 98 weeks.
First double-title week in the history of the show!
Świątek 6-4 6-0 vs Sakkari ✅
Alcaraz 7-6 6-1 vs Medvedev ✅
Daniil made sure this wouldn't be like last year's final and surprised him with the more aggressive positioning early, but Carlos was ready to make adjustments again.
What a battle. Not always the best match, but a tremendous mental and physical accomplishment.
Carlos is the youngest player ever to pick up a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces (2022 US Open🔵, 2023 Wimbledon🟢, 2024 Roland Garros🟠).
It's another Iga & Carlos double!
Świątek still gets a medal and she did recover from the disappointment of yesterday nicely to beat Schmiedlova 6-2 6-1. Not the color she wanted, but she'll surely try again in Los Angeles and probably even Brisbane. For now, back to the tour and the hard court swing!
Świątek makes a winning start in Miami, beating Giorgi 6-1 6-1. Was able to get the Italian on the move after neutralizing the first two or three aggressive shots in most rallies. That's 7 wins in a row for her and also 7 in Miami (2022 title, 2023 didn't play due to injury).
Świątek now 2-1 over Noskova this year (3-1 overall). Those who wanted her to win ugly should be satisfied after today, lots of tension and spotty FH timing. Getting that 5-4 game done from 0-30 in the 2nd set felt vital, the Czech was on the verge of another 2-5 comeback.
Iga takes her 5th Grand Slam title, 4th at RG (2020, 2022-24). She's now 35-2 in Paris with the comeback vs Osaka the only tough match on the way in this edition.
WTA Rankings
11695 - Świątek
7988 - Gauff
7788 - Sabalenka
WTA Race
7335 - Świątek
4358 - Sabalenka
4013 - Rybakina
Great Olympic experience for Iga and Carlos.
Both walked away with medals (even if it wasn’t the colors they wanted)
We will be back for an episode in a couple of days to recap it all.
Keep your heads held high ✌️
2nd brilliant Madrid final in a row. Iga saves 2 MPs in a game where she was visibly tight at 5-6 in the 3rd, then 1 more in the TB, firing crucially rampant +1 shots to survive
3rd WTA 1000 title of the year, 32-4 in 2024
WTA Race
4335 - Świątek
3583 - Rybakina
3278 - Sabalenka
No slow start for Iga today and that quickly resulted in trouble for Kostyuk, who couldn't really handle that heat and heavy ball-striking coming at her from the first shot of the rally. Świątek wins 6-2 6-1 and into the Indian Wells final where she'll face Gauff or Sakkari.
EPISODE 17 ✔️
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
discuss all things Iga Swiatek about her game, evolution, tactics, and personality with special guest
@juanignacio_ac
. Lots of interesting topics discussed here with plenty of nuance.
Will it be the first double-title week in the history of the show?
Świątek✅
Alcaraz ?
6-4 6-0 vs Sakkari, almost like the final two years ago (6-4 6-1). Credit to Maria for the fight from 0-3 down in the opener, was the better player off the ground for a few games. 20-2 in 2024
Iga beat Waltert 6-3 6-1 and Naef 6-4 6-3 to earn 2 of Poland's 3 points in the tie against Switzerland as her team progresses to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Gonna be a quick switch to clay now, she's the 2-time defending champion in Stuttgart (8-0 record at this venue).
If you have a friend who doesn’t know who Carlos Alcaraz is and they have 15 minutes - this highlight reel video is really good. His 100 best points from Post 2022 USO to 2023 Wimbledon. A sample size of 61 matches.
EPISODE 14✔️
1GA Swiatek completed an incredible week in Cancun at the WTA Finals, finishing YE
#1
for the 2nd straight season. Excellent performances all week.
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
dissected it all on the latest episode!
…
…
Roland Garros R1:
[1] Świątek d. [Q] Jeanjean 6-1 6-2
[3] Alcaraz d. [LL] Wolf 6-1 6-2 6-1
Smooth start. Total control for Iga with Jeanjean not possessing the power to fight back, while Wolf had some flashy shots but Carlos was always ahead (arm seemed better than in Madrid).
Four matches against Sorribes Tormo since Wimbledon and four straight-set wins for Świątek. Not the most pressure on Iga in this matchup, but it does bring out some rare gems from her like all the net approaches in Beijing or the dropshot today.
No double bagel for Iga this time, but she'll be satisfied with a 6-0 6-2 win. Vondrousova's style can be quite uncomfortable to take on, today she was never even granted the chance to execute it.
Świątek vs Gauff ep. 12 coming up - H2H 10-1, 4-0 on clay, 2-0 at Roland Garros.
Wozniacki retires at 4-6 0-1, struggling with her toe injury.
Świątek had a nice turnaround from 1-4 in the opener though, a similar story to most of her matches against defense-oriented players of late. You might extract some errors at first, but when she finds her groove...
Świątek beats Gauff 6-2 6-4 to make her 3rd consecutive RG final and will be trying to become the 3rd woman in the Open Era to win it 3 times in a row (Seles in 1990-1992, Henin in 2005-2007).
Continues to dominate this matchup, corrected the course quickly from 1-3 in the 2nd.
One could easily classify this as a classic case of Świątek struggling to find her range and then dominating once she does, but that 70-minute first set was an awesome effort from Raducanu too.
Wasn't easy but Iga now holds a 10-0 record in Stuttgart and will face Rybakina next.
Iga avoids a repeat of the AO when she pulled off a comeback in R2 to lose to a Czech player (Noskova) in R3.
Back on track with a 6-4 6-2 win over Bouzkova, continuing her dominance over more defensively-oriented players. 32% of the points today ended with her winners (34/107)!
EPISODE 32 ‼️
IGA AND CARLOS ROLAND GARROS DOUBLE
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
gather on Sunday to dissect everything about the last two rounds of the French Open for both Iga and Carlos. They also look ahead to the grass!
Today, Carlos Alcaraz has turned 21 years old.
He’s won 5 ATP 1000s in his career
On May 31, 2022 Iga Swiatek turned 21 years old.
She had also won 5 WTA 1000s in her career
EPISODE 25 🔔
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
bring you the very first Iga and Carlos double-title week in the show’s history. They discussed their great performances and major takeaways in this successful fortnight.
…
…
EPISODE 28 🔥
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
present to you a podcast recorded an hour after Iga Swiatek won an absolute thriller over Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Final. Match of the year! They also discuss Carlos Alcaraz and Rome.
Kenin rises to the occasion in these big matches and like at the AO, she exceled in putting early pressure on serve/return while mostly losing the extended rallies. It's a good test for Świątek early into the event as she prevails 6-3 6-4. Jones/Martic up next.
2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon, 2024 Roland Garros, 2024 Wimbledon.
Carlos does it again, picking up the Channel Slam! Hiccup at the end didn't matter, 6-2 6-2 7-6.
Suddenly we have a conversation as to who's the best player of the year too:
ATP Race
6200 - Sinner
5950 - Alcaraz
Zheng beats Świątek in the Olympic SF. 4-0 in the 2nd set will hurt, but overall Iga was a bit too nervous to find her best stuff. She's putting a lot of pressure on herself at this event, more than anywhere else.
Still the favorite to get a medal, just not the color she wanted
EPISODE 9
@vanshv2k
and
@damiankust
discuss the triumph for Iga in Warsaw & the tests she had to pass. They also elaborate on just how popular Iga is in Poland. They look ahead to Iga and Carlos in terms of the North American Hard Courts & mention some statistical parallels!
Not your usual Świątek early round in Paris as she returns to Roland Garros after less than 2 months. Begu was serving and absorbing pace well, which made Iga look edgy and tempted to rush. But in the end, it's still a two-set win to kick off her campaign from 3-5 down in the 2nd
Incredible win for Iga as she's now 30-2 at RG, despite Osaka playing a fantastic match. Everything was spot on from Naomi - the FH cross-court counters, BH DTL, serving at BPs.
But Świątek saves 1 MP with a short-angled BH return to win 7-6 1-6 7-5 from 2-5 in the 3rd set. Grit
The very definition of taking the scenic route as Świątek went from 6-0 5-2 40-15 to blowing five match points and losing the second set 6-7(8). She allowed Gracheva to start believing there, but quickly crushed her dreams again in the decider. Serve looked great, return didn't.
6-2 7-5 over Martic at 2023 Wimbledon
6-4 6-3 over Martic at 2024 Wimbledon
Petra has a great game for grass with the slice and a solid serve. Wasn't moving well after the MTO, but still managed to test Świątek a bit. Time for a 3rd 2024 meeting with Putintseva (overall H2H 4-0)
Iga defeated Maria on route to both Indian Wells titles (2022, 2024). Both times in the final. 6-4 6-1 in 2022 and 6-4 6-0 in 2024.
Carlos defeated Felix on route to both Indian Wells titles (2023, 2024). Quarterfinals in 2023. R32 in 2024. 6-4 6-4 in 2023 and 6-2 6-3 in 2024.
Iga Swiatek evened up her H2H to 3-3 a few weeks ago versus 2021 U.S. Open Semifinalist Maria Sakkari. She’s won 3 matches in a row against her.
Carlos Alcaraz evened up his H2H to 3-3 today versus 2021 U.S. Open Semifinalist Felix A-A. He’s won 3 matches in a row against him.
Iga will kick off both days of Poland's Billie Jean King Cup match vs Switzerland in Biel:
Friday 2pm vs Simona Waltert (WTA
#158
)
Saturday 1pm vs Celine Naef (WTA
#148
)
It's her first BJK Cup appearance since 2022 when she beat Buzarnescu 6-1 6-0 and Prisacariu 6-0 6-0 in Radom
Both Carlos and Iga avenged one of their previous defeats in a major and won R4 matches from a set down. Vs Berrettini and Bencic. They both faced opponents who dealt with injury this clay court season but became an unexpected big factor at Wimbledon as the tournament progressed.
Świątek gets through Putintseva 6-1 6-2 and their head-to-head now stands at 3-0. A few lapses of concentration in the second set against the Kazakh's great defense, but she could afford it with her overall stroke production and shot quality just being way too on point today.
Episode 19 ‼️
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
offer their thoughts on the United Cup as a whole and analyze how Iga Swiatek looked winning all 5 of her singles matches. They look ahead to the AO and the WTA landscape overall.
EPISODE 20 😃
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
bring you an Australian Open draw preview from the lens of Iga and Carlos. They discuss their thoughts on the biggest rivals for Swiatek and Alcaraz + potential roadblocks on their paths.
Episode 8 is the longest episode
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
have recorded so far. It’s a great one. Lots of takeaways and analysis on the best Wimbledon campaign for both players.
Check out Episode 2!!
Lots to discuss about Iga and Carlos from
@vanshv2k
and
@damiankust
. The big takeaways from Rome and the losses analyzed with plenty of nuance. Larger discussion on play styles + potential disrupters for RG.
Episode 6
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
analyze Iga and Carlos on grass so far and how they’ve adapted to the surface quickly. They discuss the key moments in their Bad Homburg and Queens runs along with an in depth analysis on their Wimbledon prospects, keeping in mind their draws.
It's our favorite type of schedule today:)
Świątek beats Haddad Maia, despite dropping the 1st set from 4-1 up and blowing a couple of 40-0 leads on return in the process. The response was deadly though as Iga gave the Brazilian nothing for the rest of the match. Alcaraz up next
EPISODE 15
ATP Finals recap relating to Carlos Alcaraz and the tennis landscape in general.
WTA Awards show discussion featuring Iga Swiatek.
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
Duo
Well looks like we’ve got a lot to talk about in our upcoming episode 2.
We wish our 2 young superstars the best as they use these next 10 days to rest, recover, practice, and gear up for Roland Garros
In the last 10 years, Świątek and Alcaraz are already the duo with the fourth most weeks as co-number 1.
There have been 20 different pairs. Barty-Djokovic lead with 116 weeks, while him and Serena had the longest uninterrupted stint (114 in a row).
One for
@IgaCarlosTennis
😉
EPISODE 4
@vanshv2k
and
@damiankust
analyze Carlos at RG & the impressive displays vs the OHBHs. They preview the highly anticipated SF vs Djokovic. They offer their hot takes, predictions, & tactics of what to expect. Also a chat about Iga on her RG so far & the final hurdles.
What a victory for Carlos as he maintains the Indian Wells winning run (11) and snaps Sinner's streak of 19 wins in a row. Bullied off the court in set 1, but then found a lot more opportunities to be aggressive and look for FH openings.
He'll play Paul or Medvedev in the final.
EPISODE 11
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
offer their big picture thoughts on the US Open and then dive deep into the takeaways for Carlos and Iga. They dissect what made Medvedev and Ostapenko successful against them + the lessons that Carlos and Iga can take away from it.
Episode 27🚨
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
recap Stuttgart by discussing Swiatek’s performances and the Rybakina semi. They preview Madrid for both the WTA and the ATP, as well as talk big picture about Carlos Alcaraz and the injury.
EPISODE 35 🙌
CHANNEL SLAM CARLITOS
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
reflect on Carlos Alcaraz’s achievement of winning the channel slam and a 4th major title. Some big picture discussions & takeaways about his performances in week 2.
55-13 - Iga Swiatek has taken just 68 matches to secure 55 Grand Slam match wins (55-13). The last player to claim as many in that amount of matches is Serena Williams (also 55-13). Duel.
#RolandGarros
|
@rolandgarros
@WTA
@WTA_insider
EPISODE 33 ‼️
Wimbledon Draw Preview
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
gather on Saturday to dissect the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles draws in full detail, focusing on Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz.
The Alcaraz forearm remains a question mark for the rest of the clay swing. Many FH opportunities he was avoiding against Struff, today for large chunks of the match couldn't keep the rally ball in play. Kudos to Rublev for not giving Carlos any room to breathe later on.
Episode 7 is uploaded and released!
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
offer their fresh takes and honest perspectives on Wimbledon so far through the lens of Iga and Carlos!
Alcaraz also gets the job done in Miami R2. Even with RCB's serve/attacking shots improvements over the years, he still had nothing to hurt Carlos with (hit one winner in the entire opening set). Still a fun watch though with plenty of net approaches and shotmaking opportunities.
Episode 10
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
meet to discuss takeaways from the Canada - Cincy double. Both Iga and Carlos went 6-2 W/L during this stretch. We discuss their highs, lows, struggles, & positives going into US Open. We also analyze the thrilling Alcaraz-Djokovic final!
EPISODE 13🛎️
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
wrap up the Asian Swing. Lots to discuss with the impressive Beijing Title Run of Iga and the WTA Finals coming up. Carlos and his YE
#1
chances + Takeaways from his Shanghai campaign.
EPISODE 18 🎤
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
discuss their separate lists of top 5 most memorable/favorite Iga and Carlos matches in 2023. Listen to find out where they overlapped. What matches did they both choose & on what criteria?
EPISODE 23🚨
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
bring you their takeaways from Iga’s impressive win in Doha. They discuss Carlos’ week in Buenos Aires and how he never found his best level. Additionally, a preview of Dubai and Rio too.
Unfortunately due to technical errors and travel, we will be a little late in posting this post Wimbledon episode.
But we promise to get it out as soon as possible later this week.
We will try our best to do Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon triumph the proper justice it deserves!
Smooth sailing for Carlos today as well. He was still trailing the H2H with Auger-Aliassime before this match, but since they stopped facing each other indoors he's actually been dominant against him.
The Tsitsipas matchup coming up and it hasn't been this exciting in a while.
EPISODE 29🚨
Dirty Double, Really Open French?
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
discuss Iga’s triumph in the immediate aftermath of the Rome final. Lots of takeaways and awesome stats. They also chat about the wide open RG men’s field.
Alcaraz gets the job done over Sinner 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 in a nervy match that had so many twists and turns.
After winning 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon, Alcaraz is into his 3rd Grand Slam final and is the youngest player to make a Major final on all three surfaces.
EPISODE 5 🚨
Listen to
@damiankust
and
@vanshv2k
reflect on Iga’s 4th Major Title and the awesome effort in the final. They also analyze Carlos and his performance in the Semifinals. A look ahead to the grass season and what to reasonably expect from both is also a topic here.