The China Mail - Swiatek, 32 and counting: Previous unbeaten runs in 21st century

If she goes on to win Saturday's final, she would equal Venus Williams' longest run by a women's player in the 21st century.

Here, AFP Sport takes a look at how her current run compares to the other winning streaks of more than 30 matches since 2000:

32: Iga Swiatek (POL) 2022

-- The Pole, who turned 21 on Tuesday, has embarked on a brilliant run of form which has seen her win five consecutive tournaments since a last-16 defeat by Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai in February.

Since then she has risen from world number seven to the top of the rankings, albeit partly aided by previous incumbent Ashleigh Barty's shock retirement.

Swiatek has lifted three WTA 1,000 titles in that time -- in Indian Wells, Miami and Rome -- and now has a second French Open crown of her career in her sights.

32: Justine Henin (BEL) 2007-08

-- Having reached all four Grand Slam finals in 2006, Henin enjoyed another dominant campaign the following year. She won a third straight French Open title before losing to Marion Bartoli in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

But she bounced back from that disappointment in style, winning 25 straight matches to finish the year, bringing her trophies at both the US Open and WTA Finals.

Henin kicked off her 2008 season with another title in Sydney, but her unbeaten streak was ended by Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

The Belgian announced her surprise retirement just a few months later, ahead of her Roland Garros title defence and while still world number one. She made a brief comeback in 2010-11 before retiring for a second and final time.

34: Serena Williams (USA) 2013

-- Serena Williams won an incredible 11 WTA titles in 2013, including the French and US Opens. Her longest unbeaten run that season started during her Miami Open success.

The now 23-time Grand Slam champion lifted her second Roland Garros title by beating Sharapova in the final, having also won in Charleston, Madrid and Rome.

But the American great fell one match short of equalling her older sister Venus' record, losing a dramatic fourth-round match at Wimbledon to grass-court specialist Sabine Lisicki.

35: Venus Williams (USA) 2000

-- Venus Williams won five WTA titles and the Olympic gold medal during her unbeaten run at the start of the century, which no one has improved on since.

She won her maiden Grand Slam title with a final victory over Lindsay Davenport at Wimbledon and also took the US Open honours with a win against her compatriot.

Williams was never ranked higher than world number three during her run, which was ended by Davenport in the final of an event in Linz.

Swiatek is now putting Williams' mark under threat again, although the all-time longest unbeaten run -- Martina Navratilova's 74-match streak in 1984 -- remains a long way off.

A.Zhang--ThChM