Iga Swiatek becomes the 3rd Polish woman to reach Wimbledon Final!

 

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.

Suddenly, five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek is posting outstanding results on turf this season. She made her first grass-court final at Bad Homburg two weeks ago, and is now into her second final on the surface -- at the grass-court major, no less.

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."

wtatennis.com

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.

Iga Swiatek into a career first semi-final at Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek has broken new ground on grass. No. 8 seed Swiatek of Poland is into her very first Wimbledon semifinal after a 6-2, 7-5 quarterfinal victory over No. 19 seed Liudmila Samsonova
 on No. 1 Court on Wednesday.

"This year, I feel like I developed as a player, and I had time to practice a little bit more," Swiatek said after her win. "Match by match, my confidence, for sure, went up so that I can use it on this championship.

"Just happy with the work that I've been doing and proud of myself, yeah."

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek, who has spent 125 weeks ranked World No. 1 in her career, needed 1 hour and 49 minutes to overcome first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Samsonova. Swiatek remains undefeated against Samsonova, now leading their head-to-head 5-0.

Growth on the turf: This has to stand as Swiatek's career-best grass-court swing. She's gone 8-1 on the surface this year -- the first time she has attained that many wins on grass in a calendar year.

After not having made a Hologic WTA Tour final for over a year, Swiatek made her first-ever grass-court final two weeks ago in Bad Homburg (finishing runner-up to Jessica Pegula

Now she has made the final four at Wimbledon for the first time, eclipsing her previous best Wimbledon result, when she reached the 2023 quarterfinals before losing to Elina Svitolina

This result makes Swiatek the fourth active player to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slam events, joining three other players who have been World No. 1: Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka and Karolina Pliskova.

Bencic awaits: Swiatek will face World No. 35 Belinda Bencic in the semifinals. Swiatek has a 3-1 head-to-head lead over new mom Bencic, including a grass-court win at 2023 Wimbledon.

"I can only imagine how hard it is to come back after pregnancy," Swiatek said. "We practiced in the first event this year in United Cup, but it already seems like she's ready to be back in the rhythm.

"For sure she has the game to play well here on grass. Yeah, I never doubted that she can't come back after pregnancy. She seems like she's in a good mood and she's playing well."

Match moments: Swiatek had to stave off a break point in the opening game of the match, but she was unstoppable in the rest of the first set. The World No. 4 was a perfect 10-for-10 when she got her first serve into play in the opening frame.

Swiatek methodically eased to a 6-2, 4-2, 40-0 lead, putting herself five points away from a routine win. However, Samsonova made her move at nearly the last possible moment, finding more margin on her rocket groundstrokes. Samsonova came all the way back in that game, pulling back on serve at 4-3 with a forehand return winner.

Suddenly, the second set became a real battle, with some excellent angles from Samsonova forcing errors from the former World No.1. At 5-5, Swiatek had to fight back from 0-30 down to keep herself in front -- but she did so with some powerful forehands of her own.

At 6-5, Swiatek at last reached double match point once Samsonova sent a backhand wide. On her second match point, Swiatek fired a return winner to seal victory and become the first Polish woman to make the Wimbledon semifinals since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2015.

"Obviously if your opponent is winning two games in a row and is breaking you back, you need to change something 'cause you can't let her keep winning," Swiatek said. "So I just know that what I need to do and I try to focus on that.

"Anytime the momentum changes, you just need to get back to work and do something better. That's it."

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek is a Wimbledon semi-finalist, if I'm dreaming please no one wake me up. 

If you told me at the beginning of the year that Iga would lose in the semis of Roland Garros but make it into the semis of Wimbledon I would have laughed. 

She has now reached the semis of every Grand Slam the first Polish woman ever to do so in the Open Era.  And this in what everyone is calling Iga's worst season.

What an achievement. 

I was so nervous going into this one because I knew Samsonova can be a real danger on the grass but it was Iga who dominated the first set. 

In the 2nd Samsonova picked up her level after Iga's dropped a fraction and allowed her to get back into the match. 

Really it should have been a 6/2 6/2 score line (with Iga being love 40 up at 4/2). Despite that Iga didn't panic, yell or gesture at her box, she stayed calm and got right back to work changing her strategy. 

That calmness and confidence has been missing all season (replaced by tightness and stress). 

I think I'm most happy with Iga's attitude here she seems to really be enjoying the experience (despite I'm sure it all being plenty stressful still). 

But she's smiling more and enjoying her game, and seeing the fruits of her hard work paying off. 

It almost feels like a weight has been lifted off her after losing Roland Garros and she just wiped the slate clean.

I want her to get into the final so bad, I just want her to break that semi final hurdle in Slams this year I think it'd just boost her confidence sky high for the rest of the season.

Belinda Bencic will be another different challenge someone with plenty of comfort and experience on the grass. 

The equalizer in this being both of them in their first ever career Wimbledon semi. Nerves will definitely play a factor on both sides (despite Iga being a 5 time Grand Slam champ).

I think Iga unlike Andreeva will be able to get Bencic to move side to side more, and will certainly be able to outlast her physically.

Both return well, and both have great backhands though I think Iga's forehand might have a slight edge (especially when it's really on). 

If Iga can serve as high as she did in her last match that'll take a lot of pressure off too .

But I'd say Iga has a better 2nd serve than Belinda. So really it'll come down to the intangibles, who handles their nerves and occasion better. 

Who stays calms in moments of pressure. I think Iga's mental toughness is often under estimated and under appreciated I believe that might just help take her over the line.  

Iga has given me a lot of reasons to be proud of my Polish roots over the past 5 years, but today might just be one of the proudest yet. 

I hope she goes into tomorrow uninhibited like she has nothing to lose because she has already achieved above and beyond at just 24 years of age.

All that said I'll be cheering my loudest tomorrow.

Jazda!

40 - Iga Swiatek is the first player to claim 40+ WTA level wins for 4+ consecutive seasons (2022-2025) since Karolina Pliskova (six in a row between 2014 and 2019). Continuity.

Iga Swiatek makes 2nd career Wimbledon Quarterfinal!

 

Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is through to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the second time in her career after a 6-4, 6-1 win over Denmark's Clara Tauson on Monday at the All England Club.

From 3-1 down in the first set after what she called a "shaky" start on serve, Swiatek had her way with the No. 23 seed in their third career meeting in 1 hour and 5 minutes. The eighth seed's improved form was coupled with Tauson suffering from an apparent illness.

The Dane, who upset former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the previous round to reach the Round of 16 at SW19 for the first time, received a medical timeout in the match, and Swiatek revealed that she told her she wasn't feeling well when the two shook hands.

"Even though the beginning was pretty shaky with the double faults, I managed to play well and solid," said Swiatek, who double-faulted four times in her first two service games but just once for the rest of the match. "I'm hoping she's going to have a good recovery and a fast one.

"It's never easy to keep your focus. I know that sometimes when I wasn't feeling well that I'd just let go of everything and it gives you a boost. I just tried to be ready for everything."

Swiatek finished the match with 18 winners and five breaks of Tauson's serve -- but those weren't the only notable numbers to put her through to the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time since 2023. Read on for more super stats from Swiatek's No. 1 Court victory.

3: Swiatek is now 3-0 against Tauson in their careers -- and, in fact, went on to win the title at the only Hologic WTA Tour event where she faced Tauson previously: the 2022 BNP Paribas Open.

4: Swiatek has reached the quarterfinals or better at the last four consecutive Grand Slam events.

5: Swiatek will bid next to extend her head-to-head record against Liudmila Samsonova, the No. 19 seed, to 5-0. The two have never played on grass, but Swiatek has won eight straight sets against Samsonova dating back to dropping the first set of her three-set semifinal win against her at the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

7: Swiatek has now won seven grass-court matches in 2025, tying her highest mark in an entire season, which came in 2023.

12: Swiatek has now reached 12 Grand Slam quarterfinals in her career. She is the youngest player to reach a dozen quarterfinals at majors since Maria Sharapova reached her 12th at the 2008 Australian Open -- and since Swiatek's Grand Slam debut in 2019, only Aryna Sabalenka has reached more major quarterfinals. Sabalenka has 13 on her resume and counting.

wtatennis.com

It seems Iga Swiatek has definitely figured out grass this year. With every match she just seems to get more and more comfortable. 

Sure today she didn't have the best start (with back to back doubles in a few games), but she didn't panic and just kept plugging away to recover and take the set in the end. 

Instead of bashing the ball she's using her foot speed and defense counter punching skills to win points. 

Feels like Iga fans have been waiting for this day since forever. She won 11 out of 12 points at the net, I even saw her use at least 3 really good slice shots. 

And the serve once it stabilized just brought it all home. 

I believe she even ended the match with back to back aces. The belief that she can play on this surface is really starting to flourish and it's wonderful to see. 

Samsonova up next for Iga always tricky especially on the grass which will be their first meeting on the surface (serves quite well and had good variety). But she is essentially another power hitter so Iga will know how to deal with it. 

The occasion of more than likely playing on centre court could prove vital as well, it will not surprise me if Samsonova does have some nerves that might effect things. 

Iga will definitely have to keep things close on serve to put pressure on those nerves. 

Iga has clearly started listening to Wim's advice and really taken it to heart.  

He's finally made her realize that there's no need for her to just try and out hit her opponents on every surface (especially grass) something Tomasz Wiktorowski wasn't successful at. 

 Many have speculated that things like less pressure, better preparation on the grass or simply wanting to grow her skills as a player are the culprits for this year's success. 

Whatever the reason for Iga being more receptive to Wim was  I'm glad it's finally clicking. 

I won't mention anything about stats till after the match because I don't want to jinx things, but needless to say I'm beyond excited and nervous.

Regardless of what happens Wednesday I'm just so damn happy and proud of Iga. 

And so grateful for Wim who has convinced and reminded her where her talents lie and it's truly paying off.

Jazda! 

3/3 - Iga Swiatek has made the quarter-finals at each of the first three Grand Slam events of the season for the first time in her career. Evolution.

12 - Iga Swiatek has become the youngest player to reach 12 Women's Singles Grand Slam quarter-finals since Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open 2008. Jewel.

Iga Swiatek back in the 2nd week of Wimbledon!

The machines are calling the lines for the first time this summer. But when Iga Swiatek played Danielle Collins on Centre Court, bringing together two of the sport’s most intriguing and contrasting personalities, it was an illustration of how Wimbledon is still as human as ever.

You see, nothing exposes your character quite like playing tennis on this rectangle of lawn (though there was also a very revealing moment in Swiatek’s on-court interview when she spoke of her love for pasta with strawberries and yoghurt).

This was a third round match to discover what would happen when one of the most cerebral of tennis players faced one of the most combative athletes around, an American nicknamed ‘Danimal’, on the grass.

Add into the psychological mix all the vulnerability surrounding the seeds in the ladies’ singles this summer – so many have already lost early – and how Swiatek has had less success at the All England Club than at the other Grand Slams, and this could have got very awkward for the Pole.

Swiatek’s 6-2, 6-3 victory told you as much about her character as it did about her game and a growing appreciation for grass.

“I was in the zone,” Swiatek said, her mind not once wandering to the thought of whether she might be eating her strawberry pasta dish for dinner that evening. “I knew I had to be brave. I tried to play fast because you can’t let Danielle play her winners.”

It’s true that the former world No.1 has been watching Desperate Housewives between matches. But don’t let that undermine Swiatek's image as an introspective woman with an over-active mind who travels with her own psychologist, has had her own online book club and likes doing crosswords.

In her own self-analysis, she is “an intense person” and that’s why she uses every moment to “chill out off the court”. Contrast that with Collins, a bolder and more confrontational character who will blow kisses at spectators who are bothering her, as she did at this year’s Australian Open.

More and more in practice, if not always in matches, the ball has been listening to Swiatek on the grass this summer. She has been firm with her instructions: land on the lines as much as you can, please.

“It is much more fun this year,” Swiatek said. “I had practices where the ball was listening to me. Today was a good day and it is a new experience feeling good on this surface.”

If Swiatek can keep playing like this, in her next match against Denmark’s Clara Tauson and then possibly beyond, this Fortnight could get very interesting for her.

Four of Swiatek’s five Grand Slams were at Roland-Garros, while she has also won the US Open once and has played in two semi-finals at the Australian Open, but for now her best result at Wimbledon was reaching the quarter-finals in 2023.

Perhaps there’s a little less attention on the Pole this summer than in previous years. That’s because she had been in the habit of coming to London as the Roland-Garros champion, which got people wondering whether she could take that form from Parisian clay to English grass.

But this year she lost in the semi-finals in France and the focus has often been elsewhere. Something else has been different this summer as her preparations for The Championships took her to Germany, where she reached a first tour-level final on grass.

Only three women this century have reached the third round at 22 consecutive Grand Slams. They are Serena Wiliams, Amelie Mauresmo and Swiatek. The other two have lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish. Will this be the summer when Swiatek joins them?

wimbledon.com  

This had to be Iga's best career match on grass. She finally looked comfortable and confident. Used her foot speed and her forehand so well. 

Was patient in the rallies and didn't try to over hit, just waited for the right shot. 

Served well too, all of that basically inhibited Collins game and didn't allow her to play her way thus putting more pressure on her serve and shots (which she missed quite a few of). 

It was honestly tactically brilliant. The sort of tactics many fans have been waiting to see from Iga for years. 

It was a real joy to watch her play today.

And it gets better Iga no longer has to play Elena Rybakina because Clara Tauson pulled off a huge upset. 

Granted Tauson won't be a walk in the park especially if she serves well, but Iga can really use her movement skills and shots again more so than she would have been allowed to against Rybakina.

The stars are aligning just a little.

But we take it one point and one match at a time.

Jazda!.

Side note I think the best thing about today (aside from Iga convincingly beating Collins) was the on court interview, and the stir she caused when she told the Brits she eats pasta with strawberries. 

Pretty sure that broke social media :D. 

For those not familiar pasta with strawberries  is a bit of Polish tradition a staple really eaten by all Polish kids in their childhood (and for many well beyond). 

 It is absolutely delicious!. 

Now Iga's introduced it to the entire world ( though many probably think we're crazy, mostly the Italians :D).

Iga Swiatek back into the 3rd round at Wimbledon

 

Iga Swiatek continued to avoid the upset bug at Wimbledon on Thursday, but the five-time Grand Slam champion had to escape from a one-set deficit to do so.

No. 8 seed Swiatek of Poland overcame Caty McNally of the United States 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in a second-round showdown on Centre Court. Swiatek needed a grueling 2 hours and 25 minutes to defeat her former junior teammate and opponent McNally.

"For sure, second and third set, I played how I wanted to play," Swiatek said afterwards. "In the first, I got stuck a little bit having good score at the beginning. Obviously Caty won the set. I'm happy I just got back and played my game."

22 straight Slam third-rounds: With the win, Swiatek becomes the third player this century to reach the third round at 22 consecutive Slam appearances, joining Amelie Mauresmo and Serena Williams.

Former World No. 1 Swiatek has still not lost before the third round of a Grand Slam since the 2019 US Open, and she is now 23-2 in Grand Slam second-round matches.

Collins awaits: Currently ranked World No. 4 after a run to last week's Bad Homburg final, Swiatek will now take on another American in the third round: former Top 10 player Danielle Collins

Swiatek leads Collins 7-2 in their head-to-head, but Collins won their most recent meeting on the clay of 2025 Rome in straight sets. Also, Collins' other win over Swiatek came in a huge Slam meeting: the 2022 Australian Open semifinals.

Junior days redux: The Swiatek-McNally history dates back to juniors, with the 2018 Junior French Open being a pivotal moment. They teamed up to win the doubles title at that event, but McNally also got a big win over Swiatek in the singles semifinals that fortnight.

McNally would go on to the 2018 Junior Roland Garros singles final, where she finished runner-up to yet another rising star -- Coco Gauff.

Swiatek rebounded and won the very next junior Grand Slam singles title at 2018 Junior Wimbledon.

They had only previously played once at tour-level, where Swiatek topped McNally at 2022 Ostrava in two close sets. McNally took a set from Swiatek this time around on Thursday, but the former World No. 1 regrouped to take the victory.

Match moments: This was a big occasion for McNally, who was in her first Grand Slam second round since the 2023 Australian Open. The 23-year-old American is on the comeback trail after elbow surgery, and entered the Wimbledon main draw on an injury-protected ranking of No. 71.

In the first set, McNally showed why she was on the brink of the Top 50 before injury struck. A two-time Grand Slam doubles finalist, McNally executed some incredible volleys to fight back from 4-1 down and steal the first set from Swiatek.

"I think I lost my intensity [during the first set]," Swiatek said. "Obviously I knew I can play well 'cause I did at the beginning of the match, but I lost the quality, did some unforced errors. Then on grass I feel like the momentum can change pretty quickly."

A key game occurred at 1-0 in the second set, where McNally swatted away five break points. But Swiatek converted her sixth chance of that game, with a big return setting up a crosscourt backhand to break. Swiatek's forehand varied from sublime to error-prone throughout the match, but it was strong enough to ease through the second set.

Swiatek took control down the stretch, winning seven consecutive games to lead 5-0. Serving for the match at 5-1, McNally made one last push and garnered three break points, but the Swiatek power came through and she closed out the win with her fifth ace of the day.

"It's about being more proactive, I would say," Swiatek said. "And sometimes making braver decisions, and for sure the intensity with the footwork.

"You can still raise your intensity and be patient and make smart decisions. It just means that you're going to play these shots really 100 percent."

wtatennis.com

Another solid match from Iga sure she had a bit of a wobble in set one and lost the lead but she recovered extremely well and won the next 2 convincingly. 

And afterwards said it was good the match was extended because it give her more time to get used to centre court. 

Definitely the right attitude for the grass. 

Next up is another opponent I dread and always dread really. Danielle Collins one of the most abrasive personalities on tour. 

Her attitude just irritates me so much. 

And ever since the Olympics she continues to have some sort of weird beef with Iga. 

It just doesn't sit right with me, she's at least 6 years Iga's senior and acts like a junior in High School. 

I was hoping that her lack of match play on grass would be the cause of her going out early here, but no such luck for Iga. 

Why couldn't she be on the other side of the draw where the seeds have pretty much been decimated *sigh*.

I'll be proud of Iga no matter what the result on Saturday, but I won't lie and say that it wouldn't give me immense pleasure if Iga were to pull off the win. 

Even if she were to lose next round to Rybakina at least she will have made it one round further than last year and gained some more ranking points. 

So I'm manifesting for Iga to have a great serving day on Saturday. 

Jazda!.

On a day of upsets Iga Swiatek makes triumphant return to Wimbledon

 

WIMBLEDON -- A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Iga Swiatek was the best junior here on the grass.

“It feels like it was in a different lifetime, you know?” Swiatek told reporters on Sunday. “It was probably the highlight of my career back then. It felt pretty surreal. But on the other hand, I came back home, and nothing really changed.

“I remember I thought maybe life is going to be, like, perfect now. I was a bit disappointed. It was still the same, and I still had to get back to work. I remember having a lot of just hope and just the feeling that maybe it’s going to be also possible in the future at the pro level.”


It was 2018 and the 17-year-old Swiatek won her first (and only) junior Grand Slam title on a surface that is technically her worst as a professional.

That draw was loaded with future stars -- No. 3 seed Coco Gauff, No. 8 Clara Tauson and No. 11 Leylah Fernandez. Swiatek beat unseeded Emma Raducanu 6-0, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Wang Xinyu in the semis.

Fast forward to today, with Swiatek -- a four-time Roland Garros champion on the red clay but with a career-best quarterfinal berth at Wimbledon two years ago -- coming off her best Hologic WTA Tour grass result ever. Last Saturday’s final in Bad Homburg was her first WTA final since winning in Paris more than a year ago.

On Tuesday, the No. 8 seed here dropped a 7-5, 6-1 decision on Polina Kudermetova It was Swiatek’s 61st consecutive win in an opening match -- the longest streak of any woman this century. She’ll meet Caty McNally, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over British wildcard Jodie Burrage
on Thursday.

With the victory, Swiatek’s record at Wimbledon is 12-5 (.706). That’s a fairly stellar mark, but perhaps because she is so dominant on clay, Swiatek has always been self-deprecating about her grass skills.


And yet, the 24-year-old from Poland defeated Jasmine Paolini definitively, 6-1, 6-3, in the Bad Homburg semifinals.

“It for sure gave me a lot of confidence,” Swiatek said. “Obviously it’s tennis, so every day is different, but I felt like I’m playing great. I really pushed Jasmine the way I wanted to. I had really great time in Bad Homburg and enjoyed it. Yeah, also having more time to practice before on grass really helped. I feel that I have a little bit more skills.”

And while Paolini reached the finals here a year ago, she is not listed among the leading favorites to win this title.

 Swiatek, a small distance behind Aryna Sabalenka, is -- ahead of 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and reigning French Open winner Coco Gauff

Swiatek gave Jessica Pegula a good go in Bad Homburg, losing a brisk final by a 6-4, 7-5 count.


“She said in her speech, `Oh, there’s hope for me.’ I was like, `You’re still pretty good,’ ” Pegula said on Sunday. “I’m pretty sure she made [Wimbledon] quarters a few years ago. She won junior Wimbledon -- you’re obviously not like a lost cause.

“I think she was a little hard on herself … it’s hard when you don’t feel as natural on a surface. Yeah, she’ll be fine.”

Swiatek arrived at Wimbledon late Saturday night and -- aside from her media responsibilities -- had Sunday off. She practiced Monday and looked sharp in her first match.

It’s all a part of a committed effort to get better on grass. After losing to Sabalenka in the semifinals at Roland Garros, Swiatek opted to skip the WTA 500 events at Queen’s Club and Berlin. Instead, she spent a week practicing in Mallorca. Slowly, surely, she’s feeling better on grass.

“Just more time, like give me opportunity to, yeah, work on some movement and stepping to the ball a little bit differently than on clay -- it helped,” Swiatek said. “You really have to trust your shots on grass. You can’t really pull back.

“Any shot that will give your opponent more time to go in is probably the shot that will make you lose the rally. I just went for it in Bad Homburg, and it really worked.”

There’s a theory floating around that because her customary clay runs in Stuttgart, Madrid, Roma and Paris have been so taxing, there was never much left in Swiatek’s tank, physically or emotionally, for Wimbledon.

After a work-vacation on a lovely Spanish island, she looks fresh and ready to challenge for one of the two Grand Slam titles that have eluded her.

wtatennis.com

Well Iga may not have won Bad Homburg last week, but unlike the eventual champion Pegula she transitioned well and made it through the first round at Wimbledon. 

Something that I think her fans and even the press often under appreciate. 

Just the fact that Iga despite having her worst season title-wise, is able to make it through the first round of a Slam every time regardless of the surface (and this being her least successful one) is quite extraordinary. 

I continue to be  impressed with Iga's serving on grass, seems that all that work on serve is finally clicking.  She's actually averaging 5 aces per match.

And it is great to see, because it allows her to have a lot of free points and play more free not feeling all the stress and pressure on her service games even if she makes an error or two.

Iga's next opponent Caty McNally will definitely be a tricky customer given she feels comfortable on grass and loves coming forward to the net. 

But if Iga can stay close on serve throughout the match as she did here it'll help her immensely.  And she already faced a similar player in Paolini so we'll definitely know what tactics to deploy.

Thursday's playing conditions will be much cooler so Iga will probably have to make adjustments for the ball moving a bit slower. 

But I really think she'll manage it well. 

With every match on grass she's gaining confidence and that is also quite good to see. 

Iga Swiatek makes her first ever tour level final on grass in Bad Homburg!

 

Iga Swiatek will contest her first final in more than a year -- and her first career final on grass courts -- at the Bad Homburg Open after defeating Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 6-3 in Friday's semifinals.

Fourth seed Swiatek improved her record over Paolini to 5-0 with the 1 hour and 6 minute victory -- her first head-to-head meeting with the Italian this season. She largely led wire-to-wire in her sixth Top 10 win of the year, outside of the early stages of the second set where Paolini broke her serve in the first game. The World No. 4 converted the only break point she held against Swiatek in the match in that game, but surrendered her serve to love immediately after and never led again.

Swiatek now owns 50 career victories over the Top 10 -- but until Friday, she hadn't earned any of those on grass.

"I wasn't expecting to win this match, so I'm happy that I just did my job," Swiatek said afterwards. "I knew how I wanted to play and I just went for it. I'm happy I kept the momentum going until the end of the match, Jasmine, you can't let her get back in the game because she's a fighter. I just wanted to go for it, and go for my shots."

Looking to win her first title since she triumphed at Roland Garros last spring, Swiatek will face either No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula or unseeded Linda Noskova in Sunday's final.

wtatennis.com

If you told me last year that in 2025 Iga would lose in the semis at Roland Garros, not reach a final for another 13 months, only to break that curse by reaching her first career final on grass I would have laughed. 

I think I'm still laughing actually but it's from pure happiness. 

Seems like the pressure truly being off Iga and putting in some work with Wim has allowed her to shine on grass for the first time in her career. 

I won't lie and say that I haven't been waiting for this day because I have. 

And as her long time fan it feels glorious. 

I have no idea why she has such low confidence on this surface honestly. 

She clearly has the game for it (yeah ok net game still needs some work) but the rest is solid. 

Spending a few extra days training on grass this year is certainly paying off. 

I think I've seen her hit more aces in this tournament than she usually does in a year.  

Whatever happens in the final with Pegula on Saturday, I have never felt more proud. 

It's so good to see her happy and enjoying herself out there again (on her worst surface no less!). 

I've missed it. 

Her game is a joy to watch and when she's feeling good it flows. Long may it continue.

Whatever the out come, what a great confidence booster for  Iga before Wimbledon.

Jazda Iga Grasstek! :)