Top 7 players in WTA Rankings’ last back-to-back defeats: Iga Swiatek hasn’t lost two in a row in 200+ matches

In November 2021, Iga Swiatek – then a one-time Grand Slam champion – lost back-to-back matches at the WTA Finals. Whilst this may not seem very remarkable in any way, the Pole hasn’t repeated the consecutive losses since.

The world No 2 has many impressive achievements. Five major titles, 125 weeks ranked as the world No 1, 22 career titles, and three consecutive Roland Garros singles trophies. However, when compared to her nearest-ranking rivals, Swiatek’s period without back-to-back losses stands alone.

Here, we detail the last time each of the world’s top seven ranked players lost back-to-back matches.

Elena Rybakina – November 2024
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina had mixed fortune in 2024, suffering various illnesses and strange losses.

At the WTA Finals, the Kazakh lost her opening round-robin match 7-6(5), 6-4 to Jasmine Paolini – who had reached the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon that season.

In her crucial next round-robin match, two days later, the world No 7 suffered a 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-1 defeat to gold medallist Zheng Qinwen. That defeat eliminated Rybakina from semi-final qualification contention.

Madison Keys – October 2024
Madison Keys is the clear ‘surprise’ player of 2025, having won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with sensational victories over various top players – including over Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

However, in October 2024, the American suffered a 6-4, 6-3 loss at the hands of the current world No 1 at the China Open – with the gap in form evident.

Keys moved on to another event in China, participating at the Wuhan Open. Despite beating Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight-forward fashion in Beijing, the 2025 Australian Open champion fell in the opening round in Wuhan to the Brazilian, 7-6(7), 6-2.

Jessica Pegula – November 2024
American Jessica Pegula reached her first Grand Slam final in 2024, at the US Open, ultimately losing to Sabalenka. Despite this, the points she had accumulated helped her to qualify for the year-end championships in Riyadh.

Once there, Pegula was far from her best, losing 6-3, 6-2 to countrywoman Coco Gauff in her first round-robin match, before being defeated by former Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, 6-3, 6-3.

After her two losses, the world No 5 withdrew from her scheduled match, against Iga Swiatek, due to a left knee injury.

Jasmine Paolini – November 2024
29-year-old Jasmine Paolini had a career-best season in 2024, making the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals – having never gone beyond the second round at any Grand Slam before the season.

The Italian finished the year sitting in the impressive world No 4 spot, qualifying for her first WTA Finals.

Paolini got off to a great start in Riyadh, beating Rybakina in straight-sets – putting her in a good position to qualify for the semi-finals. However, the two-time Grand Slam finalist lost her second round-robin match 6-3, 7-5 to Sabalenka, before being dominated by Qinwen Zheng 6-1, 6-1. The two losses knocked her out of the tournament.

Coco Gauff – February 2025
American Coco Gauff may only be 20 years old, but turned professional back in 2018 – lighting up the women’s tennis scene in recent years. She came into 2025 off the back of winning the WTA Finals, before being upset by Spaniard Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

Gauff then played the Qatar Open, losing 6-2, 7-5 to Marta Kostyuk in the first round – despite previously leading the head-to-head 3-1.

The American moved onto the WTA 1000 event in Dubai, but suffered a shocking 6-4, 7-5 defeat to McCartney Kessler- who had never beaten a top 10 player prior to the match.

Iga Swiatek – November 2021
As stated earlier, Iga Swiatek leads the way in this streak in terms of the world’s top seven, but also leads compared to her fellow top 30 players.

The Pole has not lost back-to-back matches since the WTA Finals back in 2021 – when the world No 2 was still a one-time Grand Slam champion.

At the event, being held in Mexico, Swiatek lost to Maria Sakkari for the third time that year – having not won a single set – 6-2, 6-4.

The current world No 2 got off to a better start in her next round-robin match, taking the first set 6-2 against Sabalenka, before dropping the second set by the same scoreline, and falling to the Belarusian 7-5 in the third.

Since then, Swiatek has won 212 matches, with 32 losses – an 86% win percentage. The streak continues, 39 months later.

Aryna Sabalenka
Coming into the first Grand Slam of 2025, Sabalenka was looking to win her third consecutive Australian Open title.

However, her 20-match winning streak in Melbourne came to an end against Madison Keys with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 loss in the final.

Just a few weeks later, Sabalenka faced off against Ekaterina Alexandrova in her first match at the Qatar Open, but was ultimately defeated 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) – despite twice leading by a break in the deciding set.