The China Mail - Swiatek swats Bencic aside to reach Wimbledon final against Anisimova

USD -
AED 3.6725
AFN 68.500767
ALL 83.650195
AMD 383.740036
ANG 1.789623
AOA 917.000168
ARS 1255.771603
AUD 1.518535
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.699594
BAM 1.668636
BBD 2.020399
BDT 121.679557
BGN 1.671324
BHD 0.377009
BIF 2981.413623
BMD 1
BND 1.279674
BOB 6.939711
BRL 5.532197
BSD 1.000601
BTN 85.690153
BWP 13.33339
BYN 3.274649
BYR 19600
BZD 2.009991
CAD 1.366665
CDF 2885.999797
CHF 0.797305
CLF 0.024758
CLP 950.059844
CNY 7.175299
CNH 7.180395
COP 4015.7
CRC 504.651927
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 94.750118
CZK 21.077021
DJF 177.719836
DKK 6.381645
DOP 60.201883
DZD 129.786021
EGP 49.513198
ERN 15
ETB 135.375002
EUR 0.855315
FJD 2.261989
FKP 0.736163
GBP 0.736975
GEL 2.70977
GGP 0.736163
GHS 10.398008
GIP 0.736163
GMD 71.500142
GNF 8655.999873
GTQ 7.68709
GYD 209.351631
HKD 7.84955
HNL 26.350155
HRK 6.442403
HTG 131.286287
HUF 340.946504
IDR 16215
ILS 3.30675
IMP 0.736163
INR 85.73505
IQD 1310
IRR 42112.501063
ISK 122.029986
JEP 0.736163
JMD 159.910246
JOD 0.708992
JPY 146.307011
KES 129.504736
KGS 87.449424
KHR 4021.000199
KMF 421.501385
KPW 899.989949
KRW 1371.760527
KWD 0.30571
KYD 0.833891
KZT 519.10468
LAK 21530.000051
LBP 89599.999784
LKR 300.589969
LRD 200.999896
LSL 17.729749
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.394991
MAD 9.002495
MDL 16.930368
MGA 4429.999979
MKD 52.594017
MMK 2099.551903
MNT 3586.805132
MOP 8.090897
MRU 39.703014
MUR 45.150598
MVR 15.400468
MWK 1736.497632
MXN 18.612131
MYR 4.256016
MZN 63.959878
NAD 17.730255
NGN 1530.519845
NIO 36.749849
NOK 10.086305
NPR 137.104074
NZD 1.657591
OMR 0.384503
PAB 1.000601
PEN 3.546002
PGK 4.12475
PHP 56.449783
PKR 284.505474
PLN 3.634204
PYG 7755.344063
QAR 3.640596
RON 4.3415
RSD 100.168026
RUB 77.80135
RWF 1434
SAR 3.750397
SBD 8.326487
SCR 14.347863
SDG 600.497378
SEK 9.51093
SGD 1.279695
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.498647
SLL 20969.503664
SOS 571.4971
SRD 37.367976
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.755263
SYP 13001.930426
SZL 17.729878
THB 32.609717
TJS 9.681127
TMT 3.51
TND 2.900761
TOP 2.342097
TRY 40.163795
TTD 6.794671
TWD 29.258799
TZS 2629.999596
UAH 41.880479
UGX 3585.88681
UYU 40.653701
UZS 12662.501804
VES 113.606295
VND 26125
VUV 119.443863
WST 2.750992
XAF 559.644909
XAG 0.026949
XAU 0.000301
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.695413
XOF 558.000342
XPF 102.296461
YER 241.849645
ZAR 17.74261
ZMK 9001.196762
ZMW 23.44008
ZWL 321.999592
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Swiatek swats Bencic aside to reach Wimbledon final against Anisimova
Swiatek swats Bencic aside to reach Wimbledon final against Anisimova / Photo: © AFP

Swiatek swats Bencic aside to reach Wimbledon final against Anisimova

Iga Swiatek breezed into her first Wimbledon final on Thursday but hopes of a dream match-up with Aryna Sabalenka were dashed when the top seed was stunned by Amanda Anisimova.

Text size:

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek, not previously known for her prowess on grass, demolished former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in just 71 minutes on Centre Court.

"Honestly, I never even dreamed that it's going to be possible for me to play in the final," said the 24-year-old eighth seed.

"So I'm just super-excited and proud of myself and I don't know, tennis keeps surprising me.

"I thought I had experienced everything on the court but I didn't experience playing well on grass, so that's the first time. I'm super excited and just enjoying it."

In baking conditions, Swiatek caught her Swiss opponent cold, racing into a 3-0 lead, and never relinquished her grip against her 35th-ranked opponent.

Bencic, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, at least got on the board in the first set, but in the second set the rampant Swiatek went up another gear and her opponent had no answers.

Swiatek has largely gone under the radar at this year's Wimbledon, dropping just one set so far while every seed above her has been eliminated.

Four of her five major wins have come on the clay of the French Open, with her previous best performance at Wimbledon a run to the quarter-finals in 2023.

She made her first grass-court final at Bad Homburg just two weeks ago and is now into her second final on the surface.

Swiatek has won all five of her Grand Slam finals but standing in the way of a sixth major title is Anisimova in their first professional meeting.

- Anisimova ousts Sabalenka -

Anisimova, the American 13th seed, shattered Sabalenka's Wimbledon title bid with a tense 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory.

World number one Sabalenka had reached the previous three Grand Slam finals but came up short against Anisimova, who matched her blow for blow in a bruising encounter lasting just over two hour and a half hours.

"This doesn't feel real right now, honestly," said Anisimova. "Aryna is such a tough competitor and I was absolutely dying out there. I don't know how I pulled it out.

"We've had so many tough battles and to come out on top and be in the final of Wimbledon is incredible."

Anisimova is only the second player in the Open era to reach a women's final at a Grand Slam after losing in qualifying at the previous year's event.

"If you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you. It's indescribable to be honest," she said.

The 23-year-old, who now has an impressive 6-3 winning record against Sabalenka, won the first set but the Belarusian hit back to level.

Anisimova was hailed as a teenage sensation after reaching the 2019 French Open semi-finals aged just 17.

But in 2023 she took an eight-month break from the court for mental health reasons, tumbling out the top 400.

This time last year, she was on the comeback trail but was ranked too low to get into the Wimbledon main draw and fell in qualifying.

Since then she has climbed quickly and is guaranteed to make her top-10 debut on Monday.

Defeat was a bitter blow for Sabalenka, who has still never been beyond the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old won last year's US Open to collect her third major, but suffered agonising defeats in the finals of this year's Australian Open and French Open.

"Losing sucks," she said." You feel like you are getting close to your dream and then this is the end. You always feel like you want to die and not exist any more."

"But then you sit there a little bit and think about what you could have done differently."

X.Gu--ThChM