Tennis-Unforgiving Swiatek crushes Anisimova 6-0 6-0 to win maiden Wimbledon crown
LONDON (Reuters) -Iga Swiatek took another stride towards tennis greatness as an all-court maestro after ruthlessly tearing apart American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 and lifting her first Wimbledon trophy on Saturday.
The big occasion turned into a nightmare for Anisimova who became the first woman to lose a Wimbledon final by that painful scoreline since 1911 and the first to do so at any major since Steffi Graf routed Natasha Zvereva at the 1988 French Open.
Already a U.S. Open champion and a four-times French Open winner, Swiatek's demolition job at the All England Club meant that she became the youngest woman since a 20-year-old Serena Williams in 2002 to lift major titles on all three surfaces.
Her superb display on the sun-drenched lawns of London also ensured she emerged as the first player since Monica Seles in 1992 to win all her first six major finals.
"It seems super surreal," said Swiatek.
"I didn't even dream (about this) because for me it was just like way too far. I feel like I'm already an experienced player, but I never really expected this one.
"I want to congratulate Amanda for an amazing two weeks. No matter what happened today, you should be proud of the work that you're doing. I hope we're going to play many more finals here and other tournaments, you have a game for that."
Swiatek's triumph ended a barren 13-month run for the Polish 24-year-old, who served a short suspension late last year after an inadvertent doping violation linked to contaminated sleep medication melatonin.
"I want to thank my coach (Wim Fissette). With the ups and downs right now, we showed everybody that it's working," Swiatek added.
SCORCHING START
On another warm afternoon on Centre Court, Swiatek got off to a scorching start breaking a nervous Anisimova three times en route to dishing out the first bagel, prompting some spectators to get behind the American in a bid to help prolong the clash.
A frustrated Anisimova shrieked and desperately looked to her team in the stands for any kind of guidance after conceding yet another break point early in the second set and it was not long before her machine-like opponent pulled away further.
Anisimova continued to disappointingly crack under pressure, before Swiatek completed the brutal mauling in 57 minutes with a backhand winner on her second match point to become the first Wimbledon champion from Poland.
Victory took Swiatek to 100 wins from 120 matches at the majors, making her the quickest to get to there since Williams in 2004, and denied Anisimova the chance to become the first American to win the title since her compatriot in 2016.
Swiatek jumped for joy on court before running towards her team in the stands, leaving Anisimova to wonder what could have been as she sat in her seat, before the tears began to flow during her on-court interview.
"I didn't have enough today," said Anisimova, who began the tournament with a 6-0 6-0 win over Yulia Putintseva but admitted to running out of gas in the final.
"I'm going to keep putting in the work, and I always believe in myself. I hope to be back again one day."
It was bitter disappointment for U.S. fans hoping for an "American Slam" this year after Madison Keys won the Australian Open at the start of the year and Coco Gauff triumphed at the French Open last month.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Martyn Herman in London; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Germany Fall to Sweden 4-1 After Wamser Red Card
GERMANY'S hopes of topping Group C crashed after a red card for defender Carlotta Wamser that was the deciding factor in the team's 4-1 defeat by Sweden, coach Christian Wueck said after their final group game at the Women's Euros. Following a bright start, capped with a goal from Jule Brand, Germany were second best for most of the match at Zurich's Letzigrund stadium. Sweden hit back with two goals before Wamser handled on the goal-line in the 31st minute. She was sent off, and Sweden's Fridolina Rolfo scored from the spot. 'The red card was decisive in us not coming back,' said Wueck. 'I think after the penalty, after the 3-1 and one player less on the pitch it was clear that it would be very, very difficult for us to come back against this Swedish team.' He had thought Germany might still get chances in the second half. 'But the quality of the Swedes is of course almost impossible to combat with one player less,' Rolfo said. Germany did not make enough of their first 15-minute spell and struggled with Sweden's counter-attacking, he said. The Swedes scored again in the second half to win 4-1 and top Group C. Germany finished second to qualify for the quarter-finals, where they will play France, Netherlands or England, depending on the outcome of Sunday's Group D matches. 'We wanted to win this game, we clearly went into this game wanting to finish first in the group,' Wueck said. 'And that's why we're a bit down now. 'Again, of course you have to look at the game, you have to take the positives out of it, you also have to clarify and analyse the negatives with the players,' he said. 'But I think we were outnumbered for 60 minutes. You can't forget that either.' - REUTERS
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Red card decisive in 4-1 loss to Sweden, Germany coach says
GERMANY'S hopes of topping Group C crashed after a red card for defender Carlotta Wamser that was the deciding factor in the team's 4-1 defeat by Sweden, coach Christian Wueck said after their final group game at the Women's Euros. Following a bright start, capped with a goal from Jule Brand, Germany were second best for most of the match at Zurich's Letzigrund stadium. Sweden hit back with two goals before Wamser handled on the goal-line in the 31st minute. She was sent off, and Sweden's Fridolina Rolfo scored from the spot. 'The red card was decisive in us not coming back,' said Wueck. 'I think after the penalty, after the 3-1 and one player less on the pitch it was clear that it would be very, very difficult for us to come back against this Swedish team.' He had thought Germany might still get chances in the second half. 'But the quality of the Swedes is of course almost impossible to combat with one player less,' Rolfo said. Germany did not make enough of their first 15-minute spell and struggled with Sweden's counter-attacking, he said. The Swedes scored again in the second half to win 4-1 and top Group C. Germany finished second to qualify for the quarter-finals, where they will play France, Netherlands or England, depending on the outcome of Sunday's Group D matches. 'We wanted to win this game, we clearly went into this game wanting to finish first in the group,' Wueck said. 'And that's why we're a bit down now. 'Again, of course you have to look at the game, you have to take the positives out of it, you also have to clarify and analyse the negatives with the players,' he said. 'But I think we were outnumbered for 60 minutes. You can't forget that either.' - REUTERS
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Katie Taylor Beats Serrano Again, Keeps Undisputed Title
KATIE TAYLOR retained her undisputed super lightweight championship on Friday, completing a trilogy sweep against Amanda Serrano on a history-making night atop the first all-women's boxing card at Madison Square Garden on Friday. The two fighters brought women's boxing to new heights through their fierce rivalry as a sell-out crowd at the world's most famous arena watched the Irishwoman just edge out her opponent. The judges scored the fight 95-95, 97-93. Their first meeting at Madison Square Garden three years ago was billed as the biggest fight in women's boxing, as they were the first women to headline a fight at the arena. Taylor triumphed by judges' decisions in their prior two meetings as well, including a controversial clash in November, where the referee docked Taylor a point for head butts. Friday's fight on Netflix marked the streaming giant's latest foray into live sports, which experts say has driven subscriber growth after the debut of National Football League games late last year - REUTERS
