In a few more hours, another thrilling edition of the US Open will come to an end. While the final match of the men’s singles still awaits us at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the women’s singles competition has already concluded. Aryna Sabalenka sonorously decimated Amanda Anisimova in straight sets to defend her US Open title, becoming the first female athlete to do so since Serena Williams’ three-peat between 2012 and 2014. With that, the Belarusian bagged her fourth Grand Slam title. A massive feat, no doubt. However, when we look at stats beyond title wins, the 27-year-old pales in front of the true legends of the sport!

When you measure greatness by the number of times a player has beaten a Top-10 opponent at Grand Slams, a slightly different hierarchy emerges than the one you see from titles alone. A post on X by Oleg S. from September 7 places Steffi Graf (63) and Serena Williams (62) well ahead of everyone else, with modern champions like Aryna Sabalenka (10), Iga Świątek (9), and Coco Gauff (6) further down the list. That tally, compiling the wins over opponents who were ranked in the world’s top 10 at the time and counted only at the four Grand Slams, gives a useful perspective on how often champions fought and beat the elite on the sport’s biggest stages.

Why “Top-10 wins at Slams” matters

Not all Grand Slam wins carry the same statistical weight. A Round-1 win over a qualifier isn’t comparable to beating a top-seeded rival in a quarterfinal. The “Top-10 at the time” filter isolates victories over the very best players when they were at their peak, and focusing on Grand Slams highlights those wins under the biggest lights and pressure.

That’s why Graf and Serena sit so high: their longevity, consistency, and frequent deep runs meant they repeatedly met, and beat, top opponents at majors. Their careers are well-documented as outliers in Slam-era dominance.

The modern gap: How active champions like Aryna Sabalenka fare against the stalwarts

Look at the active stars:Aryna Sabalenka’s recent run to the top, including back-to-back U.S. Open titles, makes her a major force, but the chart’s 10 top-10 Slam wins underline there’s still a distance between her and Graf/Serena’s totals. Sabalenka’s ability to win big matches has accelerated in the last two seasons as she’s added Grand Slam trophies to her CV.

Iga Świątek sits close behind in terms of Slam pedigree: multiple Roland-Garros trophies and a record that already reads like one of the generational players. Her Slam résumé (six majors) and frequent high-level matchups show why her Top-10-at-Slams tally (nine, per Oleg’s list) matters:It’s a measure of taking down the best when it counts.

Coco Gauff’s place on the list (six) is another major highlight:Two Grand Slam titles at a young age and repeated deep runs mean she’s already piling up marquee wins. But the raw totals make plain that the path to Graf/Serena territory is still long—even for the most promising young champions. 

Historical context and what to watch next

Two things stand out from a historical perspective. First, Graf and Serena aren’t just leaders because they have won many Slams. They instead accumulated top-10 scalps after top-10 scalps at majors across long careers, which compounds into the very high counts we see. Second, the modern era’s parity and deeper fields mean active players may not rack up those numbers as quickly, even if they win multiple Slams; beating top-10 opponents repeatedly at majors requires both longevity and consistent meetings with the tour’s very best.

For readers tracking the race: the chart provided by Oleg is a handy snapshot, as it shows where active champions sit now and how much ground they could still gain. Sabalenka (10) and Świątek (9) are the clearest contenders to climb, but a jump into the 40s, 50s, or beyond would demand many more years of deep Slam runs and repeated matches against top rivals.

Written by

Diptarko Paul

Edited by

Shrabana Sengupta