Queen of Clay chases Stuttgart royalty: Iga Swiatek now just behind Tracy Austin

Iga Swiatek began her Stuttgart campaign with a dominant win at the WTA 500, defeating Croatian qualifier Jana Fett (World No. 153) 6-2, 6-2 in her return to the tournament. With this result, Swiatek improves her record at the event to 11-1 (92%), making her the second-highest winning percentage in Stuttgart history.

The only player ahead of her is the legendary Tracy Austin, undoubtedly the most consistent player the tournament has ever seen. Austin won the title in its first four editions (1978–1981) and only suffered a single defeat—against Martina Navratilova in the 1982 final (6-3, 6-3). That match marked her last appearance in Stuttgart, finishing with an incredible 24-1 career record at the event.

However, it's worth noting that during Austin's era the tournament was played on indoor carpet, a now-extinct surface. Since 2009, Stuttgart has been held on indoor clay, the only WTA tournament on this surface and under this condition. Swiatek hold the best in win rate in the tournament under clay conditions.

Behind Swiatek on the all-time list sits Martina Navratilova (1982, 83’, 86’-88’, 92’, with six titles and a 90% win rate, followed by Maria Sharapova, who won the tournament three consecutive times (2012–2014) with an 84% win rate, and Kim Clijsters (2002, 2003), who has two titles and an 82% win rate.

Swiatek won the title in 2022 and 2023, while in 2024 he finished in the semi-finals, losing to Elena Rybakina, in what was his only defeat in the clay swing 2024 (21-1 record).

It took just over 75 minutes for the 4-time Roland Garros champion to mark a triumphant return to clay, as she dismantled Croatia’s Jana Fett (World No. 153) 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday to book her spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Stuttgart Open.

Swiatek’s return to her favourite surface once again positions her as the frontrunner for every clay-court title. The Polish star continues to break records on the dirt, winning 70% of points on her first serve and converting five breaks from 14 opportunities granted by her opponent.

Next, the 23-year-old could face Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko (World No. 24), her well-known kryptonite on the women’s tour, who will battle for a quarterfinal spot against Emma Navarro (World No. 11) this Thursday.