Latest news with #BelindaBencic
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top seeds Alexandrova and Yastremska advance in Hamburg
Russian tennis player Ekaterina Alexandrova in action against Swiss Belinda Bencic during their women's singles round of 16 match on day eight of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Ben Whitley/PA Wire/dpa Top seed Ekaterina Alexandrova breezed into the second round of the Hamburg Open WTA tournament on Wednesday while two German players fell by the wayside. Russia's Alexandrova won the first seven games en route to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Dutch qualifier Eva Vedder in 58 minutes. Advertisement Second seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine also reached the second round in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 over Germany's Jule Niemeier. There was more pain for the hosts when third seed Tatjana Maria, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist who won the Queen's title last month, wasted a 5-3 lead in the second set as she went out 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) against Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova. Slovakia's Kaya Juvan and Leyre Romero Gormaz of Spain are already through to the quarter-finals with second-round victories. Juvan rallied to beat American Louisa Chirico 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Romero Gormaz ousted Dutch player Arantxa Rus, 6-2, 6-2.
Independent Singapore
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
'Tennis keeps surprising me' — Iga Swiatek surprised to win 2025 Wimbledon title
Photo: WIMBLEDON, LONDON: Iga Swiatek is the 2025 Wimbledon champion after she delivered a commanding win over Amanda Anisimova at the finals, finishing the match with a final scoreline of 6-0, 6-0 in under an hour. This is the first time since 1911 that a Wimbledon champion won a match with a 'double bagel' score on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Previously, Swiatek also secured a 6-0 score win in her semi-final match over Belinda Bencic. With these impressive results, she claimed the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish. Swiatek is the first Polish athlete to win a singles title at Wimbledon. She is also the first woman to win her first six Grand Slam finals since Monica Seles in 1992. Truly, Swiatek's performance captivated many tennis fans around the world, given that, before this season, she had never gone past the quarterfinals at the All England Club. With her win, Swiatek admitted: 'Being Wimbledon champion sounds amazing and pretty surreal. I'm appreciating every minute. I'm proud of myself because who would have expected that?' She added: 'Tennis keeps surprising me and I keep surprising myself.' Swiatek's athletic performance Swiatek's score at the finals was unexpected. She was not confident about her game at Wimbledon, unlike at the French Open, where she played with far greater confidence. 'The fact it's on grass, this makes it even more special and more unexpected, so the emotions are bigger. At Roland Garros, I know I can play well… Here I wasn't sure and I had to prove that to myself. I'm not going to rank [my Grand Slams]… Here and the US Open feel better because no one expected them. It was just good tennis. There wasn't any baggage on my shoulders.' She arrived in Wimbledon with less pressure on herself, allowing her to play with more freedom, and this made the win even more memorable, especially when she was also presented with the Venus Rosewater Dish by the Princess of Wales. Swiatek remarked: 'On the court, she congratulated me and said some nice stuff about my performance. I didn't want to make a faux pas. Since I was a kid, I've been a big fan of the royals.' See also Tennis stars to look out for in the next Grand Slams 'I had to enjoy playing so well on grass… because who knows whether that will happen again?' Swiatek added. On social media, Swiatek shared her achievement with a caption: 'WHAT? I just can't wrap my mind around it yet. So, so happy.🌱' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Iga Świątek (@ Netizens expressed their support in the comments section by saying: 'Believe it Iga 🥹 You're out of this world Champ 🏆,' 'Congratulations to you and the entire team! Something I feel like this is just the beginning of the next stage❤ (translated),' 'History written before our eyes! A big applause and congratulations👏👏👏 (translated),' and 'Congratulations Iga!!! 🥳 It's a blast! Joy! Awe! What a wonderful story you wrote for Polish tennis🎾🏆👏🔥 (translated).' () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
BreakingNews.ie
11-07-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Iga Swiatek surprises herself by breaking through her grass ceiling at Wimbledon
Iga Swiatek has surprised herself with her form on grass, and she is now just one victory away from a first senior Wimbledon title. The Pole has been growing in confidence on grass all fortnight and was calmness personified in a 6-2 6-0 victory over Belinda Bencic that lasted just 72 minutes. Advertisement It would have been even quicker but for a lengthy delay three games into the contest when, for a third time on Centre Court on Thursday, a spectator was taken unwell. Iga Swiatek dropped just two games in a dominant display (Jordan Pettitt/PA) All the heat on the court was coming from the racket of Swiatek, who has somewhat improbably surged back to form on the lawns in SW19. It was, by her exceedingly lofty standards, a torrid campaign on her favoured clay for the 24-year-old but a run to the final of the grass-court tournament in Bad Homburg on the eve of Wimbledon appears to have been the catalyst. That was the first final Swiatek had reached at any level since winning her fifth grand slam title at the French Open last spring, and now she is only one match away from matching Carlos Alcaraz by winning major trophies on each surface. Advertisement Swiatek won the girls' title here seven years ago but had never been beyond the quarter-finals in the main event until now and, asked if she had surprised herself, she said: 'I did. Yeah, for sure. Sensational Swiatek strikes on Centre Court ✨ Iga Swiatek produces a remarkable performance against Belinda Bencic to win 6-2, 6-0 and reach her first #Wimbledon final 👏 A defiant semi-final showing from the No.8 seed 👊 — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2025 'Honestly I never even dreamt it was going to be possible for me to play in the final. I'm just super excited. I thought I experienced everything on the court but I didn't experience playing well on grass. 'I feel confident and I'm just going for it. For sure it's working.' By not winning the French Open for the first time since 2021, Swiatek had more time to prepare on grass, and that groundwork has been paying off in style. Advertisement She denied feeling less pressure this year, saying: 'I think I'm not going to have seasons where the pressure is not going to be kind of forced on me from the expectations from the outside anymore. 'Every year it's kind of the same, but I feel sometimes I can handle it better or ignore it. I think it's easier if you haven't won Roland Garros and also if you had more time to practise.' Belinda Bencic takes a tumble (John Walton/PA) Given her extra experience at the latter stages of slams, and the fact she is yet to lose a final, she will go in as the favourite against American first-timer Amanda Anisimova, who nevertheless will bring a lot more firepower than Bencic. The Swiss has had a superb fortnight and will climb back into the top 20 on Monday less than nine months after returning to the tour following the birth of daughter Bella last April. Advertisement She admitted Swiatek was simply too good, saying: 'I definitely thought today was just a different level from Iga. I thought she played amazing and I didn't feel like she let me in the match for one second. 'Of course, I gave my best. I'm really proud of this tournament. There's nothing I really regret today. In the end she was just too good, and I was a step too short.'
The National
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
Iga Swiatek says 'tennis keeps surprising' after setting up Wimbledon final against resurgent Amanda Anisimova
Iga Swiatek says she was surprised by her run to the Wimbledon final after dispatching former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic with ease in the last-four clash. The five-time Grand Slam champion wrapped up a 6-2, 6-0 victory against her 35th-ranked opponent in just 71 minutes on Centre Court. The Polish eighth seed is more renowned for her strength on clay, with four French Open titles among her collection of trophies. She also won the 2022 US Open on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows. The former world number one is just one victory away from winning on the grass of Wimbledon – her least successful Grand Slam before this year. 'Honestly, I never even dreamt that it's going to be possible for me to play in the final,' said the 24-year-old, whose previous best at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023. 'So I'm just super-excited and proud of myself and I don't know, tennis keeps surprising.' Swiatek, who faces US 13th seed Amanda Anisimova in Saturday's final, has not won a title since the French Open last year. By not winning the French Open for the first time since 2021, Swiatek had more time to prepare on grass, and that groundwork has been paying off in style. She denied feeling less pressure this year, saying: 'I think I'm not going to have seasons where the pressure is not going to be kind of forced on me from the expectations from the outside any more. 'Every year it's kind of the same, but I feel sometimes I can handle it better or ignore it. I think it's easier if you haven't won Roland Garros and also if you had more time to practice.' Her opponent in the final has a point to prove herself. Anisimova silenced the doubters by reaching her first Wimbledon final just two years after being warned that taking a mental health break could affect her career. Anisimova, seeded 13th, stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win in a bruising semi-final on Centre Court. It was a cathartic win for Anisimova, who was a rising star after reaching the French Open semi-finals aged just 17 in 2019. The American struggled to live up to the hype after that breakthrough run at Roland Garros, which included a win over defending champion Simona Halep. Anisimova stepped away from tennis in 2023 for her mental health following scrutiny and expectations that came with being a teen prodigy. Immediately after returning to action last year, Anisimova dropped outside the top 400. But she won the Qatar Open this February and showed she was comfortable on grass by reaching the Queen's Club final in June. After reaching her first Wimbledon semi-final, Anisimova was already guaranteed to move into the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time next week. Now she is within touching distance of a first Grand Slam crown. 'I think it's different for everyone. I think it goes to show that it is possible,' she said. 'I think that's a really special message that I've been able to show because when I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game. 'That was a little hard to digest because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day. 'Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself. So that's been incredibly special to me. Yeah, it means a lot.'
The Herald
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Sizzling Swiatek blasts past Bencic into Wimbledon final
Iga Swiatek banished the last of her grass court demons to blaze into her first Wimbledon final with a quick-fire 6-2 6-0 demolition of Belinda Bencic on Thursday. Swiatek, the clay court specialist who had never gone past the quarterfinals at the All England Club before this year, romped past Bencic on a sun-drenched Centre Court to tee up a final against American Amanda Anisimova. Anisimova had stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka earlier in the day but a second upset never looked on the cards as five-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek quickly got her nose in front. The 35th-ranked Bencic did not do a lot wrong but was broken twice in the first set and three times in the second as a sizzling Swiatek brought her A-game to what turned into a one-sided contest. Reuters
