Iga Swiatek wins historic Wimbledon final as Amanda Anisimova destroyed without winning a game

7NEWS

2 days ago

Iga Swiatek has cemented her place as an all-time great of women's tennis with her unprecedented, merciless 6-0, 6-0 destruction of Amanda Anisimova in a brutal Wimbledon Centre Court final wipe-out.
In blazing sunshine on the Centre Court, Polish great Swiatek made a nonsense of all her previous struggles on grass-courts as she swept to a majestic victory for a sixth grand slam triumph on Saturday in less than an hour.
The 'double-bagel' triumph, which lasted just 57 minutes, had never happened in a Wimbledon final in the Open era.
The last time it occurred at SW19 was 114 years ago in 1911, when Dorothea Lambert Chambers beat Dora Boothby in an all-British final, while the only modern day equivalent was the 1988 French Open final when Steffi Graf routed Natasha Zvereva.
It ensured that at 24, Swiatek becomes the youngest woman since Serena Williams to win majors on all three surfaces after her four French Open titles on clay and her 2022 US Open win.
And it prompted her to have a post-title swipe at her critics who've tried to unpick why she hadn't won a title for over a year.
'For sure, the past months, how the media sometimes describe me — and I've got to say, unfortunately, Polish media — how they treated me and my team, it wasn't really pleasant,' said Swiatek, who had served a one-month doping ban at the end of last season after taking contaminated medication.
'I hope they will just leave me alone and let me do my job because obviously you can see that we know what we are doing, and I have the best people around me.
'I have already proved a lot. I know people want more and more — but it's my own process and my own life and my own career.'
Presented with the Venus Rosewater Dish by Kate, the Princess of Wales, Swiatek had delivered a right royal performance, exhibiting machine-like quality with her groundstrokes as Anisimova, the American 13th seed, never recovered from getting broken to 15 in the opening service game.
'I think everyone's in a state of shock at what's happened,' said three-time Wimbledon champ John McEnroe, echoing everyone's feelings from the commentary box. 'Swiatek played someone who absolutely froze. And it was so hard to watch.'
Inevitably, the tears came for Animisova, whose comeback had been one of the stories of the championship, with the former teenage prodigy having stepped away from tennis for eight months in 2023 to prioritise her mental health.
Much was expected after the way she'd beaten world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semis, but she was the first to admit her failings after coughing up 28 mistakes in just a dozen games.
'I was a bit frozen there, with my nerves. Maybe the last two weeks I got a bit tired or something,' said the 23-year-old, who skipped practice on Friday because of fatigue and felt pain in her right shoulder while warming up before the match.
'I ran out of gas today and I wish I could have put on a better performance for you,' she told the crowd after paying a tearful tribute to her mum.
Nothing, though, could be taken away from Swiatek. She's the eighth consecutive first-time Wimbledon champion, but her's is a name that truly belongs in the event's hall of fame after she'd never previously got beyond the quarter-finals.
The first Polish winner at Wimbledon in 148 years had spent 125 weeks as the world No.1 between 2022 and 2024 but had slumped to a No.8 seeding after her win famine. Now she's back where she belongs.