Masterful Swiatek ends Bencic fairytale and reaches her first Wimbledon final

The Guardian

11-07-2025

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.
Since Paris, Swiatek has an impressive nine victories on grass, the most in her career in one summer, showcasing a newfound proactivity on the surface.
'Every slam final has been totally different,' said Swiatek. 'It's hard to compare these journeys. For now I am enjoying this new feeling of being a bit more comfortable on grass.
'There is no place to overthink here. You kind of have to follow your instincts. If that is going well, you can rely on them to feel comfortable, so this is kind of fun. And it is different than on other surfaces where you have more time to build the rally.'
Across the net, Bencic's return to the Tour after maternity leave has been nothing short of inspiring. Ranked world No 489 at the start of the year, the Swiss has played with a serene poise and had the most time on court of any woman player at Wimbledon this year, logging over 10 hours. But the extra minutes in her legs seemed to take their toll early against Swiatek.
The Pole, opting to serve first, began with characteristic authority, cruising to a 40-0 lead before Bencic responded with a forehand winner but Swiatek quickly sealed the opening game with a forehand winner of her own. An early break followed swiftly, as Swiatek dictated play from the baseline, forcing Bencic into a nasty slip while chasing a forehand. The perfect start continued for the former world No 1, who extended her lead to 3-0 with a powerful ace.
A brief nine-minute halt due to a spectator incident related to the heat allowed Bencic a moment to regroup and she eventually got on the scoreboard after a long return. Swiatek's relentless pressure soon yielded another break.
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Returning Bencic's drop shot with a precise forehand into the open court, Swiatek closed out the set decisively after Bencic netted a backhand.
The start of the second set brought a brief wobble from eighth seed, who opened with back-to-back double faults, going 15-30 down before overhitting a forehand. But Bencic failed to capitalise on the break points and Swiatek steadied herself to hold serve. The Pole quickly regained control, securing another early break after a commanding rally culminated in a backhand winner.
While the Swiss was not performing at the level seen in her previous rounds, it was clear that even her best might not have been enough against a truly hungry Swiatek. The one-way traffic continued as she stormed through two more holds and breaks, bagelling her opponent with a backhand winner down the line to seal her place in the final after just 74 minutes.
It was ultimately one of the year's best performances from the 24-year-old, who had almost as many winners (26) as Bencic had points (32).