Defending champion Iga Swiatek and Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina underlined their title credentials with straight-set wins at the French Open 2023 tennis tournament to reach the third round on Thursday.

Also Read: French Open 2023 Tennis: Novak Djokovic reaches third round after defeating Marton Fucsovics

Elena Rybakina's comfort on clay improved as she defeated another Czech Republic teenager. The No. 4 seeded Wimbledon champion defeated 18-year-old Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-3 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen at Roland Garros. At the same time, Polish world number one Swiatek, defeated American Claire Liu 6-4 6-0 to reach the third round. Swaitek will play next against China's Wang Xiyu in the third round. While The 23-year-old fourth seed Rybakina will play Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo in the last 32.

Rybakina, who lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January, showed with the win against Noskova she looks capable of going far at Roland Garros. Her best performance came in 2021 when she reached the quarter-finals.

Swiatek and Rybakina are part of the emerging 'big three' on the WTA Tour, alongside Belarusian world number two Aryna Sabalenka, with the trio having won the past four Grand Slam titles between them. They are the leading players on the WTA Tour this season. Although Rybakina is still fourth in the 52-week rankings, behind American Jessica Pegula, after not receiving points for winning Wimbledon last year.

Also Read: French Open 2023 Tennis: Gael Monfils ruled out in the second round with wrist injury

Meanwhile, Swiatek, who also won last year's US Open, made it back-to-back straight-set wins in Paris. Just as she did against Spain's Cristina Bucsa, sealed victory in style. Swiatek won every game in a dominant second-set display against her 102nd-ranked opponent.

On the other hand, Aryna Sabalenka, 25, is already through to the French Open 2023 Tennis third round. She earned another straight-set win when she beat compatriot Iryna Shymanovich on Wednesday. There were also straight-set victories for American sixth seed Coco Gauff and Tunisian seventh seed Ons Jabeur on Thursday. Gauff, 19, overcame Austrian world number 61 Julia Grabher 6-2 6-3 and will meet 16-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva next. Up next for Jabeur following the 2022 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up's 6-2 6-3 win over France's Oceane Dodin is Serbia's 22-year-old qualifier Olga Danilovic.

Novak Djokovic has now played 430 Grand Slam matches, taking sole possession of the record for the most singles matches played in the Open Era, ahead of Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423). No other player has reached 400 matches. Let's take a look at the top 10 players who have the records of most matches played in Grand Slam in the Open Era.

Also Read: Youngest Grand Slam Champion (Men) | Top 10 List

Most Matches Played in Grand Slam

10. Stan Wawrinka | 221

Stan Wawrinka, who turned professional in 2002, played a total of 225 Grand Slam matches. He is a three-time Grand Slam champion and appeared in 50-straight Grand Slams before missing the 2017 US Open with two season-ending left knee surgeries. He is one of just three players to have defeated Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal at Grand Slams. Wawrinka reached four Grand Slam singles finals in his career to date, winning three, the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open; each time he defeated the reigning world No. 1 in the championship match (Rafael Nadal once and Novak Djokovic twice, respectively).

9. Stefan Edberg | 225

Swede Edberg competed in only 225 Grand Slam matches and he won 178 of those. Edberg, who turned professional in 1983 and retired in 1996, won two Wimbledon titles, two US Open trophies and two Australian Open titles during his 13-year career. In total he played 1,071 career matches for a win-loss record of 801–270 (74.8%)

8. Pete Sampras | 241

Pete Sampras has competed in 241 matches at Grand Slam tournaments. He compiled a 762-222 career singles record (77.4%) putting him in the top-10 all-time for the Open Era. Sampras captured 64 tour singles titles in 265 overall tournaments (was also a finalist in 24 tournaments). At the age of 19 years and 28 days, Sampras became the youngest US Open men’s singles champion in history, defeating his career-rival Andre Agassi.

Also Read: Oldest Grand Slam Champion | Top 10 List

7. Andy Murray | 257

Andy Murray has played 257 Major matches (200-57) from the 1,001 total singles matches he has competed in (739-262). Among the four Grand Slam events, the Brit has played the most matches at Wimbledon (74), where he has a 61-13 record.

6. Ivan Lendl | 271

Ivan Lendl competed in 271 Grand Slam matches (222-49) from the 1,340 matches tour-level matches he played in total (1,068-242). The Czech-American contested more matches at the US Open (86) than any other Grand Slam and compiled a 73-13 record at Flushing Meadows.

5. Andre Agassi | 277

Andre Agassi contested 1,144 singles matches overall in his career (870-274), with 277 of these being played at Grand Slam events (224-53). Among the four Majors, the American played the most matches at the US Open (98), where he accumulated a 79-19 record.

Also Read: Grand Slam record: Most wins in grand slams

4. Jimmy Connors | 282

Jimmy Connors played an ATP record 1,557 matches in his career (1,274-283), with 282 of these coming at Majors (233-49). The American contested more matches at the US Open (115) than any other Grand Slam and amassed a 98-17 record at the New York showpiece.

3. Rafael Nadal | 358

Rafael Nadal has competed in 358 matches at Grand Slam tournaments (314-44) from the 1,300 matches he has played in total (1,075-225). The Spaniard holds a 112-4 record at Roland Garros, where he has played more matches than at any other tournament.

Also Read: Most Wimbledon Titles in Open Era (Men)

2. Roger Federer | 429 

Roger Federer is the legendary player who had the record of most matches played in Grand Slam but Djokovic beat him recently. He played 1,526 matches in total in his career (1,251-275), with 429 of his matches coming at Grand Slam events (369-60). The Swiss earned over 100 victories at both Wimbledon (105-14) and the Australian Open (102-15), while he also amassed 89-14 and 73-17 records at the US Open and Roland Garros respectively.

1. Novak Djokovic | 430

Following his third round win at Australian Open 2025, Novak Djokovic surpassed his great rival Roger Federer. Djokovic has contested 430* matches at Majors (371-49) from 1,325 matches overall (1,106-219). The Serbian has won more than 90 matches at the French Open (96-16), the Australian Open (94-9), and Wimbledon (93-11), while he holds a 88-13 US Open record.

WTA World No. 2 Iga Swiatek has not won any titles since last year's French Open, despite having an overall strong season. Even worse, a Polish news outlet recently reported that Swiatek was considering skipping Wimbledon 2025 to prepare for the US Open in August.

Also Read: Australian Open Winners list (Women)

Swiatek strongly refused those reports during her Media Day press conference at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The five-time Grand Slam champion said, "Shouldn't believe this stuff." She added, “During past few days I saw million comments that were not true.”

'I'm not going to skip Wimbledon'

Swiatek further explained, "I don't get it. There are so many theories right now, I would say, especially in Polish media, about me that are not true. I think, I don't' know, you guys like to make some articles that will attract people. I get it. It's part of the job.

"But yeah, for sure, I'm not going to skip Wimbledon. I really want to learn how to play on grass better. Every year is another opportunity. I will play Wimbledon, for sure, unless I get injured."

'love-and-hate relationship with my perfectionism'

A former junior Wimbledon champion, the 23-year-old has posted her least dominant results on grass in the years since winning her first major title at 2020 Roland Garros. Relatively subpar results on hard courts and clay have been more surprising, leading Swiatek to consider her own perfectionism as a source of this recent late-stage inconsistency.

“I have [a] love-and-hate relationship with my perfectionism. The thing is that I only remember the good stuff from last years because I was winning titles and everything. My head kind of remembers the good stuff.” said Swiatek.

Also Read: 20 Highest-paid female athletes in the world: PV Sindhu only Indian on the list

Wimbledon 2025 to begin in June

Swiatek is currently the WTA World No. 2 with a record of 26-8 on the season with zero titles. The Polish superstar's campaign at the Italian Open starts on Thursday, May 8. Fans can mark their calendars for the French Open, which will start on May 25, and Wimbledon 2025, which will begin June 30.

The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis and is held annually in Melbourne, Australia.

The women's tournament has seen a number of talented players win the title in recent years.

Also Read: Australian Open Winners list (Men)

The Australian Open winners list (Women) are given below.

Players who won the tournament multiple times

Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Naomi Osaka are some of the players who have won the Australian Open multiple times. 

Serena Williams, meanwhile, cemented her position as the most successful women’s player of all-time at the event, with seven titles.

In 2021, Naomi Osaka became the first player from Japan to win the Australian Open. She defeated American Jennifer Brady in the final. 

Naomi Osaka also won the tournament in 2019, becoming the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title. 

Sofia Kenin, who hails from the United States, won the 2020 tournament, beating Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza in the final. 

Kenin, who was just 21 years old at the time, became the youngest player to win the Australian Open since Maria Sharapova in 2008.

In 2018, Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki won her first Grand Slam title, defeating Romania's Simona Halep in the final. 

Wozniacki had previously been the runner-up at the tournament in 2011 and 2014. 

Serena Williams, who is widely considered one of the greatest female players of all time, won the Australian Open in 2017 and 2015. 

She defeated her sister Venus Williams in 2017 final and defeated Maria Sharapova in the 2015 final.

Also Read: Top 10 most-talked about Tennis dresses worn by female players

Madison Keys won Australian Open 2025 title

Meanwhile, Madison Keys of America won her first-ever Grand Slam title by becoming the champion in the women's singles event of the Australian Open 2025. 

In the title match, Keys defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. 

Keys is the second-oldest woman to claim her first Australian Open singles title in the Open era after China’s Li Na, who was 31 when she triumphed at Melbourne Park in 2014.

Here is the full list.

Australian Open Winners list (Women)

The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis and is held annually in Melbourne, Australia.

The tournament has been held since 1905 and has seen some of the greatest players in the sport compete for the title. 

Also Read: Most matches won in Grand Slams by any player | Top 10 List

In this article, we will brief you on the Australian Open winners list (Men).

Jannik Sinner claims Australian Open 2025 title

Jannik Sinner won the latest edition of the Australian Open after defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. 

With this, the Italian becomes the first man to retain the title since Novak Djokovic’s “three-peat” from 2019 to 2021.

Aged 23 years 163 days, Sinner is also the youngest man to win multiple Australian Open titles since Jim Courier in 1992-93.

Djokovic won the most titles

Over the last decade, the tournament has been dominated by Novak Djokovic who has won the tournament ten times in this period (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023).

The only other players to win the tournament in this time are Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. 

Djokovic's record in the tournament is impressive, with his ten wins coming in a consecutive period of 11 years.

He has been able to defeat some of the greatest players in the world, such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, in the final of the tournament.

Djokovic also has two hat-tricks of Australian Open titles, once between 2011-2013 and then doing an encore from 2019-2021.

The Serbian’s first Australian Open crown came in 2008, when he came from a set down to beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.

Djokovic has beaten Andy Murray in as many as four Australian Open finals while he has also beaten Rafael Nadal in two finals.

Also Read: Tennis Stats: Players to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles without losing

Roger Federer won the title twice in last decade 

On the other hand, Roger has won the Australian Open twice in the last decade, in 2017 and 2018. 

He has been a finalist in the tournament five times in this period, showing his consistency at the tournament. 

While Stan Wawrinka has won the Australian Open once, in 2014. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the final, who was the defending champion at the time. 

This win was a major upset and Wawrinka proved that he is capable of winning the biggest tournaments in the world.

It is interesting to note that, in the last decade, the men's singles of the Australian Open has been dominated by Swiss players, with four out of the ten titles won by either Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka.

While Novak Djokovic, another Swiss player, has dominated the tournament with 10 titles. This shows the strength of Swiss players in the tennis world, particularly on hard courts.

Australian Open Winners list (Men)

Big-serving players have benefited throughout tennis history. One of the most advanced weaponry a tennis player may have is a powerful, well-placed first serve.

While most professionals can put the ball anywhere they want, only a few are capable of reaching speeds in the upper 140s and also the 150s.

However, We'll not limit ourselves to WTA-recognized fastest serves in tennis history for the applications of this top ten.

Therefore, without any further ado, let us dive right into the topic.

Read more: Top 10 fastest serves in Tennis history (ATP recognised)

Fastest Serves in Tennis History | Women's tennis

10. Caroline Garcia and Liudmila Samsonova (126.1 mph)

French tennis sensation Caroline Garcia and Russian player Liudmila Samsonova share the ninth spot on this list, chalking up a serve speed of 203 km/h (126.1 mph).

Caroline Garcia achieved her personal best at the 2016 Federations Cup in Strasbourg, where France hosted the Czech Republic in the final.

The host nation failed to outclass the Czech brigade in the summit clash and settled for a second-place finish.

Kicking off the top 10 list is the 6 ft” Russian, Liudmila Samsonova hit a 126.1 mph serve at French Open in 2024.

She has won five singles and two doubles titles on the WTA Tour, her first title being a WTA 500 title at the 2021 German Open. 

9. Elena Rybakina (126.8 mph)

9th on the list is Elena Rybakina, who left a lasting impression during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open with her serve clocking in at a remarkable speed of 204 km/h (126.8 mph). 

Rybakina is the first player from Kazakhstan to win a title at a major tournament, claiming the 2022 Wimbledon.

She has won eight titles on the WTA Tour, including two WTA 1000 titles at the 2023 Indian Wells Open and the 2023 Italian Open.

8. Naomi Osaka (127.4 mph)

Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka is one of the WTA’s brightest talents whose well-rounded game includes a powerful serve that’s a crucial element in her success.

At the 2016 US Open, she hit her fastest serve at 125 mph (201 km/h).

After that, she broke her own record by serving at 205 km/h (127.4 mph) at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open.

7. Coco Gauff (128.0 mph)

Since turning pro in 2018, Coco Gauff has had one of the more powerful games on tour, and her career fastest serve is proof.

At the young age of 18, Coco hit her fastest serve, which reached 128 mph (206 km/h) while playing at the 2022 US Open. Born in 2004, she’ll have plenty of opportunities to break her record.

Gauff has already won a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and reached a final at the 2022 French Open.

6. Serena Williams (128.6 mph)

A list of the fastest serves in tennis history in the women's game would be incomplete without the name of the legendary Serena Williams.

Serena's strong serve has saved her numerous times, and it has been her go-to weapon under duress for more than two decades.

At the 2013 Australian Open, Serena didn't just hit one 203.0 km/h (128.6 mph) serve; she blasted two in her match against Garbine Muguruza.

Asked about her achievement in the post-match interview, Serena said - "It's my fastest that went in. I've hit some 150s, but of course, they're, like, to the sky."

4. Venus Williams and Alycia Parks (129.0 mph)

Venus Williams, and Alycia Parks share the fourth spot on this list, recording a serve speed of 207.6 km/h (129.0 mph).

Venus Williams, like her younger sister Serena, has a tremendously powerful serve in her arsenal.

She is one of the tallest female tennis players in the world, and her first serve is one of her most powerful weapons.

Venus, however, relies heavily on her first serve because her second serve is problematic, with a number of double faults occurring at inopportune periods.

Venus has hit 207.6 km/h (129.0 mph) twice in her career, once in the first round of the 2007 US Open against Kira Nagy and again in the 2008 Wimbledon final against sister Serena.

Another big-hitting female tennis player on this list, Alycia Parks, has an explosive game, which includes one of the WTA’s biggest serves.

In 2021 she hit her fastest serve ever at 129 mph (207.6 km/h), which she clocked during her first-round match against Olga Danilovic.

Alycia won her maiden WTA title at the Lyon Open, outclassing French No. 1 Caroline Garcia in straight sets in the final.

3. Sabine Lisicki (131.0 mph)

2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki was one of the finest servers on the WTA Tour between 2011-2015, before injuries and bad form took a toll.

Despite being sensitive to "grass," the German regards the surface as her favourite.

In fact, she has had more success on grass than on any other surface, including four consecutive quarterfinal appearances in the Wimbledon Championships from 2011 to 2014.

Sabine Lisicki rewrote the record books by serving the fastest-ever serve on the WTA circuit in her match against Ana Ivanovic at the 2014 Stanford Classic.

The German breached the elusive 130 mph mark for the first time as she clocked a thunderous serve measuring 210.8 km/h (131.0 mph).

2. Aryna Sabalenka (133.0 mph)

With a powerful baseline game and serve, Aryna Sabalenka has proved herself as one of the WTA’s elite players.

Her serve speed has topped out at 133.0 mph (214 km/h), number two on the list of fastest serves in tennis history.

She achieved the feat in 2018 at the WTA Elite Trophy, a year-end tournament.

Known for her aggressive playing style, Sabalenka's powerful serve has become one of her signature weapons on the court.

She's one of the most in-form players on the women's tour at the moment.

1. Georgina García Pérez (136.7 mph)

Topping the fastest serves in the tennis history list is Spanish player Georgina García Pérez, who unleashed a monstrous serve with a speed of 220 km/h (136.7 mph) during the 2018 Hungarian Ladies Open.

However, Garcia Perez couldn't find her best potential in terms of her all-round game.

She struggled to make the top 100 of the WTA rankings and has never won a main tour title in her career.