Iga Swiatek’s Wimbledon struggles were dispelled on Wednesday, as she proved her grass court worth by reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Swiatek had only managed to reach the quarter-final stage since winning the junior title in 2018. However, she beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2 7-5 to end that streak on Wednesday.
It was a clinical performance from the Pole, who served three aces and won 70 per cent of her first serve points. She also converted five of her eight break-point opportunities.
Swiatek’s victory created Wimbledon history while also marking a monumental moment for her country.
Iga Swiatek creates history for Poland
As per Opta Ace, Iga Swiatek became the fourth current player to make the Women’s Singles semi-finals at each of the four Majors, after Victoria Azarenka, Karolina Pliskova and Aryna Sabalenka.
By achieving this feat, she became the first Polish player in the Open Era to achieve the feat.
The Polish star has collected numerous titles on clay and hard courts, winning four French Open titles and one US Open title.
Her historic struggles on grass seem to have been left in the past. Swiatek reached the first grass court final of her professional career at the Bad Homburg Open in June before performing superbly at Wimbledon.
One fan on X [Twitter] said: “I think she’s [Swiatek] the favourite to win the Championships. I saw her playing exceptionally well in Paris as well. She’s returning stronger than ever…”
Iga Swiatek already has ‘goosebumps’ after reaching Wimbledon semi-final
Swiatek was overjoyed after her hard-fought victory on Wednesday, describing the ‘goosebumps’ she felt despite only reaching the semi-finals so far.
Speaking to the BBC after Wednesday’s victory, Swiatek said: “Yes, honestly it feels great.
“Even though I’m in the middle of a tournament I’ve already got goosebumps after this win so I’m super happy and super proud of myself and I’ll keep going.”
Swiatek will face either Mirra Andreeva or Belinda Bencic in the semi-finals.
