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Swiatek ends Bencic fairytale with a devastating display
The Guardian
|July 11, 2025
Centre Court witnessed a masterclass in grass-court tennis as Iga Swiatek secured her place in a first Wimbledon final, dismantling the unseeded Belinda Bencic with a commanding 6-2, 6-0 victory.
The win sets the stage for the former world No 1's sixth grand slam final, having won her previous five. She will face America's Amanda Anisimova, who defeated the current world No 1, Aryna Sabalenka, earlier in the day.
"I played great and I felt like I could put pressure on Belinda from the beginning," said Swiatek. "I felt just good and in the zone. I was focused from the beginning till the end. So it was a really solid performance."
For the Pole, 2025 has been a year of unexpected challenges. In the Australian Open semi-finals, she had a match point before losing to Madison Keys. In the spring, she failed to defend her Madrid and Italian Open titles, and most notably - lost to Sabalenka in the last four at the French Open, ending her 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
However, a grass-court training camp in Mallorca, focused on honing her serve, returns and movement on her least favoured surface, has clearly paid dividends.
This story is from the July 11, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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