Swiatek bludgeons Samsonova to reach 1st semis as Bencic moves into Wimbledon last 4, Sinner triumphs
After years of nightmare outings at the spiritual home of lawn tennis, Swiatek appears to have finally conquered her grasscourt demons as she said the 'ball has been really listening' to her at Wimbledon this year.
That was certainly in evidence on Wednesday as from the moment Swiatek launched into a 105mph ace to save break point in the opening game, the ball dutifully obeyed the Pole as winner after winner flew off her racket.
From 2-2 in the first set, the five-times Grand Slam champion suffocated her Russian opponent on a hot and sticky Court One, winning seven games in a row with some ferocious forehands from the baseline that left Samsonova gasping for air.
Switzerland's Belinda Bencic celebrates after victory over Russia's Mirra Andreeva.
There was simply no place to hide for Samsonova, who does not like discovering the identity of her opponents until the 11th hour, as Swiatek won all of her first serve points during the opening set.
Swiatek must have thought she would be back in her rented Wimbledon home before too long to tuck into her favourite dish -- pasta tossed with strawberries and yoghurt -- as she led 6-1 3-0. However, Samsonova clung on for dear life despite surrendering her serve twice in the second set by misfiring double faults on break points.
The 19th seed, who was inspired to pick up a tennis racket after watching compatriot Maria Sharapova playing on TV, managed to break the Swiatek serve not once but twice to level the second set at 4-4.
The fightback failed to throw off Swiatek, however, as the Pole never dropped her incredible intensity and continued to threaten to take the racket out of her opponent's hand with the astonishing power she was generating from the baseline.
So loud was the thundering 'thwack' sound as her racket made contact with the ball that startled spectators were often jolted in their seats. It also unnerved Samsonova, whose Wimbledon hopes crumbled under 38 unforced and 16 forced errors.
Four games later it was all over as Swiatek skipped around the court in celebration after hitting a brutal service return winner to complete her full set of semi-final appearances at the four majors.
Earlier, Switzerland's Belinda Bencic reached her first Wimbledon semi-final with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) win against Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday.
Former Olympic champion Bencic is enjoying her best run at the All England Club just over a year after giving birth.
Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning against US player Ben Shelton. AFP
The 28-year-old had her daughter Bella in April 2024, but has already risen back up to 35 in the world since returning from maternity leave.
Wimbledon seems to be child's play for Bencic this year and she dispatched Andreeva in two hours and eight minutes of enthralling quarter-final action on Centre Court.
Bencic, a former world number four, will face five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek for a place in the final.
Bencic's only other Grand Slam last four appearance ended in defeat at the US Open in 2019, two years before she won singles gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Meanwhile, World number one Jannik Sinner shrugged off any doubts about his injured elbow to reach the Wimbledon semi-final for the second time with a clinical defeat of powerful American 10th seed Ben Shelton on Wednesday.
A high-octane contest on a muggy Court One was decided by slender margins with Italian Sinner seizing the few opportunities that came his way in ruthless fashion for a 7-6(2) 6-4 6-4 victory.
Sinner dropped two points on serve in the opening set but could make no impression on Shelton's booming delivery either before reeling off seven points to storm through the tiebreak.
Shelton continued slugging it out with the three-time Grand Slam champion but the American faltered at 4-5 in the second set, Sinner taking control as he converted just his second break point opportunity of the contest. It was a repeat performance in the third set as Sinner applied the pressure in the 10th game and Shelton duly cracked, serving a double-fault before bashing a forehand long on match point after two hours and 19 minutes.
Agencies
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