Iga Swiatek, the world No 1 who has by no means gained Wimbledon, has been eradicated from this 12 months’s event.
Up towards Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, the 5ft 4in world No. 35, Swiatek was defeated 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in a third-round match on Courtroom 1. There have been eerie echoes of her loss to a different tennis giantkiller, Alize Cornet, on the identical courtroom, on the identical stage, on the equal day of the event in 2022.
Swiatek, who was visibly upset at factors through the match, in the end had no reply to the depth of Putintseva, who’s in wonderful type on grass having gained the Birmingham event two weeks in the past. She is now as much as 8-0 on the floor this 12 months, the joint-most wins with out shedding on each excursions this 12 months alongside Jannik Sinner. Again in 2019, Putintseva beat the then world No 2 Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon. In any other case although it’s not been a floor she’s had a lot success on.
The identical is true of Swiatek, who doesn’t have a lot as a Wimbledon semifinal to go alongside her 4 French Open titles and 5 Grand Slams total. She spoke after her newest Roland Garros title of even contemplating coaching within the offseason on grass to try to get a greater deal with on it.
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After this defeat, Swiatek feels no nearer to fixing the riddle, and if she retains on profitable in Paris there can be no apparent resolution. Swiatek didn’t play a grass warm-up occasion previous to Wimbledon, citing comprehensible psychological and bodily exhaustion, which at all times meant there was an honest probability she’d arrive on the All England Membership undercooked.
Putintseva actually appeared the sharper of the 2, racing across the courtroom and speeding Swiatek, taking away her rhythm. Swiatek ended up with a particularly excessive 37 unforced erros in comparison with Putintseva’s 15.
Putintseva faces No 13 seed Jelena Ostapenko subsequent.
Swiatek will stay the world No 1 no matter Coco Gauff does the remainder of the fortnight, and can now flip her consideration to the Paris Olympics the place she would be the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal.
For now, although success at Wimbledon stays elusive.
(Clive Brunskill / Getty Pictures)
