Wimbledon: Swiatek sets title clash with Anisimova following win over Bencic

LONDON: Poland’s former world number one star Iga Swiatek booked her ticket to a Wimbledon final for the first time ever, with the eighth-seed easing past 35th-ranked Belinda Bencic in the semifinals on Thursday.

At the Centre Court, in a clash of two-time Wimbledon semifinalists, Swiatek got the better of her opponent by 6-2, 6-0, needing just one hour and 12 minutes to eliminate her opponent.

Swiatek will be aiming to put an end to her title drought, having not won a major since the French Open last year, and she stands a chance to do it at a Grand Slam where she has been at her least successful statistically.

The five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek has been outstanding on grass this season, with a final appearance at Bad Homburg two weeks ago and now at Wimbledon, as per the WTA’s official website.

Swiatek will be backing herself to win a final, having a perfect 5-0 record in Grand Slam finals, leading to four French Open titles (2020, 2022-24) and one at the 2022 US Open.

Swiatek’s next challenge will be No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova of the USA, who have not faced each other at the professional level. In their sole battle at junior level, Anisimova won.

Anisimova achieved her maiden Grand Slam final, downing the world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals on Thursday. Amanda kept a calm head as she secured a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 37 minutes, dropping a set in between.

This result is now Amanda’s sixth-ever win against a top-five player and the first-ever over the top-ranked player. Four of these top five wins have come against Sabalenka herself, improving her head-to-head record to 6-3, notching wins at every surface.

This year on grass surfaces, Amanda has an incredible record of 12 wins and just two losses, having made it to the finals of Queen’s Championships four weeks back and following it with a quarterfinal finish at Berlin. The 23-year-old also is now the first-ever player from this century to reach the Wimbledon final. (ANI)