The 5 women with most consecutive Grand Slam Round 3 appearances: Iga Swiatek hits new milestone

Iga Swiatek was back at her full-flowing best in a dominant US Open display on Thursday.

The world No 1 breezed past Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-0, 6-1, reaching the third round of a major for the 19th consecutive time.

That is a stat that puts her equal fourth in the Open Era for the most third-round Grand Slam appearances in a row – we take a look at those who also matched that run.

This stat factors consecutive appearances only, so while Chris Evert and Serena Williams have gone on lengthy individual streaks, tournament withdrawals mean they never achieved this directly at 19 Slams in a row.

Iga Swiatek – 19

Swiatek has been the dominant force on the WTA Tour for some time, and her Grand Slam consistency has been a big part of that.

The last time the reigning world No 1 lost before the third round of a major was the 2019 US Open, when she fell to Anastasija Sevastova in the second round.

Her streak of 19 straight round three appearances includes all five of her Grand Slam titles, as well as a run to the Australian Open semi-final and Wimbledon quarter-final.

Steffi Graf – 19

Matching Swiatek’s streak of 19 is all-time great Graf, who also reached the third round of 19 straight majors during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The German missed the Australian Open in 1987 but then reached the round three of every Slam after that until the 1992 Australian Open, which she also pulled out of.

Remarkably, Graf only lost once before the semi-final stage during that period.

She won 10 of her Grand Slam titles during that run – including her Calendar Slam in 1988 – and reached a further five finals.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 25

A four-time major singles champion and a former world No 1, Sanchez Vicario was one of the greatest players of the 199os.

She was a perennial threat at Grand Slam tournaments throughout that period, reaching the third round of 25 straight Grand Slam singles events at the peak of her career.

The Spaniard lost in round two of Wimbledon in 1992 but did not lose that early again until the Australian Open in 1999.

That run encompassed three of her Grand Slam triumphs, alongside reaching further finals at all four major events.

Conchita Martinez – 30

Another Spaniard renowned for her consistency, only one female player has ever reached the third round of more consecutive Grand Slams than Martinez.

The former world No 2 lost in the opening round of the US Open in 1992 but reached round three of every Slam after that until Wimbledon in 2000 – a run of 30 straight appearances.

Martinez most famously won Wimbledon in 1994 during that spell but also reached the final of the Australian Open in 1998 and French Open in 2000.

She was also twice a semi-finalist at the US Open.

Martina Navratilova – 35

Swiatek’s run is impressive, but she’ll have to keep going for another four years if she wants to match Navratilova’s record of 35 straight Slams in round three.

The 18-time major singles champion’s run started in 1980, when she did not play the French Open, but then played at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open – held in November – following that.

After that 1980 withdrawal, Navratilova did not miss the third round of a Grand Slam until Roland Garros in 1989, when she also withdrew.

She claimed 15 of her Grand Slam singles titles during that spell and only failed to make the quarter-final three times.