Iga Swiatek's career-best grass-court season has reached new heights: a trip to the Wimbledon final for the first time.
No. 8 seed Swiatek of Poland breezed past 35th-ranked Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 6-2, 6-0 in their final-four meeting on Centre Court on Thursday. In a clash between two first-time Wimbledon semifinalists, Swiatek needed just 1 hour and 12 minutes to triumph.
"For sure, I played great," Swiatek said afterwards. "I felt like I put pressure on Belinda from the beginning. I felt just good and in the zone. I was focused from the beginning till the end. So it was a really solid performance."
Anisimova awaits: Swiatek will now face No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States for the Wimbledon ladies' singles title on Saturday. Stunningly, they have never faced each other on the pro tour. They met once as juniors in 2016, and Swiatek won.
"[Anisimova] must be playing great," Swiatek said. "She also had a great tournament before Wimbledon [runner-up showing at Queen's Club]. She knows how to play on grass. With her game style, the surface fits her. So it's going to be a challenge."
Another Slam final: Swiatek has not won a title since 2024 Roland Garros over a year ago, but she is now a victory away from returning to the winner's circle here on the grass of Wimbledon -- her least successful Grand Slam before this year.
After making three straight Roland Garros finals (and winning the title each time), Swiatek fell to Aryna Sabalenka in this year's Roland Garros semifinals to see her Paris winning streak end. But the Pole, who has spent 125 weeks as World No. 1, regrouped for the grass in emphatic fashion and has reaped the rewards.
Despite her previous misgivings on grass at tour level, Swiatek has to feel confident in a Grand Slam final on any surface. She is a perfect 5-0 in Grand Slam singles finals -- leading to four titles at Roland Garros (2020, 2022-24) and one at the 2022 US Open.
"Every Slam was totally different," Swiatek said. "It's hard to compare these journeys. But for sure, for now I've been enjoying just this new feeling of being a bit more comfortable on grass."
Tale of the match: 2021 Olympic champion Bencic came into the match on a mission, hoping to become the first mom to win the Wimbledon singles title in 45 years. After giving birth to daughter Bella last April, Bencic's return has been superb, and the former World No. 4 is projected to return to the Top 20 on Monday.
But Swiatek beat Bencic here at Wimbledon in 2023, saving match point in the process, and on Thursday, the Pole picked up pretty much where she left off. Swiatek's forehand was on fire and she cranked a winner from that wing to break for 2-0 and get herself off to the perfect start.
Swiatek was generally unstoppable in all aspects, as she chased down a drop shot and flicked back a drop-volley winner to reach triple set point. Everything was going Swiatek's way as she dinked a return winner on the sideline to clinch the one-set lead.
Bencic earned her only break points of the day in the opening game of the second set, but Swiatek refused to be broken and she kept her game-winning streak alive. Indeed, the Polish star never faltered, reeling off the last eight games to notch a comprehensive win.
Aggressive on return and playing first-strike tennis whenever she could, Swiatek had 26 winners to Bencic's 11. Another powerful service day saw Swiatek win 83 percent of her first-serve points -- and to top it all off, she was 6-for-6 when she ventured to the net.
"There's no place to overthink here [on grass]," Swiatek said. "You kind of have to follow your instincts. If that is going well and you can rely on them for sure if you feel comfortable, so this is kind of fun in some way, and different than on other surfaces where you have more time to build the rally or something.
"When you're playing well, it's easy to enjoy. But I would say this is the main difference."
Iga Swiatek is a Wimbledon finalist, a sentence I always thought I would get to write a few more years down the road in Iga's career.
But Iga has always managed to surprise, as she admitted in her on court interview tennis continues to surprise her as well.
Part of me still can't believe it honestly. When you want something so bad, and it becomes reality it takes a while to sink in. Feels a bit like I'm dreaming .
I have always thought that Iga's next final and Slam would most likely comes at Aussie Open first (having made 2 semis there) before it would ever happen on the grass of Wimbledon.
But here we are. And it feels ecstatically surreal.
Who would have thought losing before the final of Roland Garros would turn into a blessing on grass. A few extra days of training on it and she makes her first ever final on the surface at Bad Homburg.
Loses it, but proceeds to make the biggest final of all a few weeks later.
Hasn't won a title all year lost heart breaker after heart breaker in Grand Slam semis and now she's in the final of Wimbledon on what was up to now always her weakest surface.
This is why I love this sport you honestly couldn't script a better tv show or movie, or write a better chapter in a book.
These sorts of redemption arcs are what you live for as a sports fan.
Huge credit has to go to Wim Fisette he's like the magic man when it comes to this surface all the players coached under him had their best career results on grass.
Angie Kerber waited years to win hers and finally won with Wim in 2018. And now Iga has a chance to do the same.
Falling in the rankings also turned out to be a positive. It allowed Iga to relax and quietly make her way through the draw basically under the raider while all eyes were on World #1 Sabalenka.
I said in my last blog that I hope Iga plays uninhibited like she has nothing to prove or lose.
And boy, did she ever!. To think I was stressing about this one given how their quarterfinal went a few years ago with Iga having to save match points.
Different year, different players.
She completely demolished Belinda Bencic, didn't even give her room to breathe really.
Just grabbed the lead and run with it to the very end. Something that has been missing in Slams from Iga this year. So this felt like the Iga of old, 2nd week Iga who just locks in and dominates.
She was so sure of her shots, and returns and just went for it with abandon, seemingly without stress of it being a big semi in a Grand Slam.
She served well and used her superior movement to her advantage though to be fair I think Belinda was physically compromised today with her split toe nail issue.
But it didn't take away from what was truly an awe inspiring performance. It made me think of that famous saying "once a champion always a champion" and that's what Iga showed today, champions mentality through and through ranking be damned.
Just as Aga Radwanska one of only 2 other women to ever reach a Wimbledon final had to fight against American Serena Williams, so will Iga have to battle against American Amanda Anisimova. There's a bit of poetic symmetry to that.
It'll be the first time these two meet as professionals on tour. In their first ever career Wimbledon final.
As much as I didn't want Iga to play Sabalenka at least I had some idea what to expect, this feels like everyone will be going in completely blind.
And that uncertainty is guaranteed to make me a nervous wreck come 2 days time. I do take comfort in the fact that Iga did play big hitters to reach the final (even though Anisimova's power is different from everyone else).
Just as in the last match this one will come down to who handles their nerves better under pressure.
And who handles the occasion in the moment really. Iga is the one with all the Grand Slam final experience, but she also hasn't won a title in 13 months.
So there's bound to be nerves there. Above all I just hope both can find their best level, give it their all and just enjoy it.
Ultimately I will be proud of whatever the outcome on Saturday, but I will not deny that seeing Iga Swiatek's name on the Wimbledon board of Champions, a Polish woman wouldn't be the fulfillment of a teenage dream realized.
I also really want to see Iga dance with Carlos or Jannik at the Wimbledon ball.
Jazda!
3/3 - Iga Swiatek (24 years 30 days) is the youngest player to reach the final on all three surfaces in Women’s Singles Grand Slam events since Justine Henin in 2003. Finalization.
10 - Iga Swiatek now holds the 10th highest winning percentage in Women’s Singles Grand Slam events in the Open Era (83.2%, 99-20) surpassing Evonne Goolagong. Top-10.
26 - Among those achieving the feat this Century, only three players have reached the final on all three surfaces in Women’s Singles Grand Slam events in fewer main draw appearances than Iga Swiatek (26). Speedy.
1 - List of active players to reach the final on all three surfaces in Women’s Singles Grand Slam events: Iga Swiatek. End of list.
No comments:
Post a Comment