Quick feet, quicker hands land Swiatek in Wimbledon last four

The Pole enters her first semi-final of this Slam with an easy win over Samsonova

- Rutvick Mehta

Iga Swiatek loves repeating a line when she is feeling good about her level of tennis. She said it at this year’s Australian Open, and this Wimbledon.

“The ball is listening to me.”

For a long time at Wimbledon, it did not. It was odd that a five-time Grand Slam champion who found success on clay and hard courts had made the quarterfinal of the grass-court major only once. It was also odd that a player who made the semifinal of both Slams this season would speak about getting “goosebumps” after another quarterfinal victory.

This, however, was a victory that broke new ground for a former world No.1 who spent 125 weeks at the top. And so, when she cracked a forehand return winner to beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5 on Tuesday, Swiatek raised her arms and let out a loud “Cmon”.

The roar was proof that the ball was finally listening to her even on grass. It was proof that she had overcome a barrier and landed a semifinal spot at Wimbledon.

“For sure,” the Pole, a junior Wimbledon winner who has since struggled at SW19, said when asked if she felt more love on grass now. “I feel like I worked hard to progress here on this surface.”