Latest news with #ClaraTauson
Free Malaysia Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Swiatek ends Tauson's run to fly into Wimbledon quarter-finals
Iga Swiatek celebrates winning against Clara Tauson at Wimbledon. (AP pic) LONDON : A deluge of double faults dictated early terms before Iga Swiatek found her grasscourt wings to fly into the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a soaring 6-4, 6-1 victory over an out-of-sorts Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson on Monday. The cold and blustery wind swirling around Court One was clearly not to Swiatek's liking as she opened her account with two double faults en route to dropping her serve to love. While the former world number one immediately got the break back, her serve kept misfiring as she produced two successive double faults to drop her serve again in the third game. But from 3-1 down in the first set, the Polish eighth seed barely put a foot wrong in a match that was over in 65 brutal minutes. 'The beginning was pretty shaky with the double faults but I managed to play solid. I'm not sure if Clara was feeling that well, she said she was sick during the night and I hope she has a good recovery,' Swiatek told the crowd. 'It's never easy to keep your focus. Sometimes when you're not feeling well you let go of everything, and it can give you a boost. I hope she's going to be fine. 'It's pretty amazing, this is the first time I've ever enjoyed London. Sorry guys… I mean I've always enjoyed it. I feel good on the court when I feel good off the court.' Swiatek had been prepared to face a barrage of one-shot winners from Tauson, who came into the match having served the most aces in this year's women's tournament. Her tally of 27 aces meant she was averaging an impressive nine per match during her run to the fourth round, which included a win over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina two days ago. Expectations were certainly high that she could become the first Danish woman to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals in the professional era – so much so that Denmark's King Frederik abandoned his plush Royal Box seat on Centre Court to watch Tauson in action on Court One. However, instead of adding to her ace count, Tauson surrendered the first set with a double fault, and from then on her game fell apart as Swiatek won eight of the last nine games to reach the quarter-finals for the second time in three years. 'If you want to beat Iga, you have to be 110%. Today I was probably around 30 and not feeling so great,' explained Tauson, who had never won a match in three previous appearances at Wimbledon. 'She was a bit nervous in the beginning I think. But as soon as she wasn't nervous anymore, I couldn't follow my legs, and my head was not there. She's probably impossible to beat. 'It's not funny to have to blame it on your health. I couldn't really breathe… I didn't have any power in my legs or in my arm. It's really hard to serve. I'm really sad that it had to end like this. Today was really tough for me.' Swiatek will face Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the semi-finals.
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
No end to Swiatek's new-found love of Wimbledon's green, green grass
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 7, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during her round of 16 match against Denmark's Clara Tauson REUTERS/Isabel Infantes LONDON - Before this year, there was no love lost between Iga Swiatek and the grass courts of Wimbledon. So what if it was called the spiritual home of lawn tennis? So what if it was the tournament that tennis greats such as Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic picked out as the one they always wanted to win above any other? She may not have uttered the words "grass is for cows", as Ivan Lendl once did when he opted to skip the tournament to go on holiday, but Swiatek seemed to share that sentiment as Wimbledon was never a happy hunting ground for her. The five-times Grand Slam champion always looked like she could not wait to escape the leafy confines of the All England Club during her five previous visits, which often followed her run to the French Open title. It was the only major where she had failed to reach at least the last four and there was little evidence that she had the desire to improve that record -- until this year. On Monday, the Polish eighth seed found her grasscourt wings to fly into the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a soaring 6-4 6-1 victory over Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump announces 25% tariffs on goods from Japan, South Korea in letters to leaders Business US stocks knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore About 20 delivery riders meet Pritam Singh to discuss platform worker issues "It's pretty amazing, this is the first time ever I've enjoyed London," she told the crowd who started laughing. "Sorry guys, I mean I've always enjoyed it. I feel good on the court when I feel good off the court." That feelgood factor was missing during her opening two service games with Danish 23rd seed Tauson on Monday as Swiatek kept misfiring her serve. Cries of "ohh" rang around Court One as she opened her account with two double faults en route to dropping her serve to love. When she produced another two successive double faults to drop her serve again in the third game the gasps grew louder and Tauson must have thought it was game on for her to knock out another Grand Slam champion following her success over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina two days ago. But from 3-1 down in the first set, and fuelled by her favourite Wimbledon diet of pasta tossed with strawberries and yoghurt, Swiatek sprinted away with eight of the last nine games. After extending her perfect record against Danish opponents to 4-0, she delved deeper into what had clicked for her on grass. "I felt this year that I could really develop as a player. I'm doing the job no matter what the results are going to be," said the Pole, who will next face Russian Liudmila Samsonova. "I feel like I'm doing a great job at just learning how to play on grass. First time I feel, like, more comfortable. I feel like the process has some kind of logic. "It's tough when the expectations are high and people talk to you like you're underperforming. I guess this year is just different." The transition from the clay to grass has not been easy for Swiatek, who has had to get out of her comfort zone to come up with a winning formula. While she has mastered the art of sliding across clay, tennis's slowest surface, in order to conjure up shots that are beyond the capability of most of her rivals, she has had to abandon that manoeuvre on the slicker turf courts. "I've been watching Carlos (Alcaraz) a little bit and Novak (Djokovic). I see them slide (on grass). Obviously it's possible but you just need to kind of trust it," she said. "Since I never played so many matches on grass as this year, I've never had time to really trust it." But at least she now has faith that she can do well on grass, especially as she has a great chance to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time considering she has a 4-0 record over Samsonova. Just in case any doubts lingered about Swiatek's chances of finally lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish come Saturday, Tauson said: "She's probably impossible to beat." REUTERS
Asharq Al-Awsat
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Swiatek Ends Tauson's Run to Fly Into Wimbledon Quarter-Finals
A deluge of double faults dictated early terms before Iga Swiatek found her grasscourt wings to fly into the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a soaring 6-4 6-1 victory over an out-of-sorts Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson on Monday. The cold and blustery wind swirling around Court One was clearly not to Swiatek's liking as she opened her account with two double faults en route to dropping her serve to love. While the former world number one immediately got the break back, her serve kept misfiring as she produced two successive double faults to drop her serve again in the third game. But from 3-1 down in the first set, the Polish eighth seed barely put a foot wrong in a match that was over in 65 brutal minutes. "The beginning was pretty shaky with the double faults, but I managed to play solid. I'm not sure if Clara was feeling that well, she said she was sick during the night and I hope she has a good recovery," Swiatek told the crowd. "It's never easy to keep your focus. Sometimes when you're not feeling well you let go of everything and it can give you a boost. I hope she's going to be fine. "It's pretty amazing, this is the first time I've ever enjoyed London. Sorry guys... I mean I've always enjoyed it. I feel good on the court when I feel good off the court." Swiatek had been prepared to face a barrage of one-shot winners from Tauson, who came into the match having served the most aces in this year's women's tournament. Her tally of 27 aces meant she was averaging an impressive nine per match during her run to the fourth round, which included a win over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina two days ago. Expectations were certainly high that she could become the first Danish woman to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals in the professional era -- so much so that Denmark's King Frederik abandoned his plush Royal Box seat on Centre Court to watch Tauson in action on Court One. However, instead of adding to her ace count, Tauson surrendered the first set with a double fault and from then on her game fell apart as Swiatek won eight of the last nine games to reach the quarter-finals for the second time in three years. "If you want to beat Iga, you have to be 110%. Today I was probably around 30 and not feeling so great," explained Tauson, who had never won a match in three previous appearances at Wimbledon. "She was a bit nervous in the beginning I think. But as soon as she wasn't nervous anymore, I couldn't follow my legs, and my head was not there. She's probably impossible to beat. "It's not funny to have to blame it on your health. I couldn't really breathe... I didn't have any power in my legs or in my arm. It's really hard to serve. I'm really sad that it had to end like this. Today was really tough for me." Swiatek will face Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the semi-finals.
TimesLIVE
07-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Swiatek ends Tauson's run to fly into quarters, Bencic downs Alexandrova
A deluge of double faults dictated early terms before Iga Swiatek found her grass court wings to fly into the Wimbledon quarterfinals with a soaring 6-4 6-1 victory over an out-of-sorts Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson on Monday. The cold and blustery wind swirling around Court One was clearly not to Swiatek's liking as she opened her account with two double faults en route to dropping her serve to love. While the former world number one immediately got the break back, her serve kept misfiring as she produced two successive double faults to drop her serve again in the third game. But from then on the Polish eighth seed barely put a foot wrong in a match that was over in 65 brutal minutes. 'The beginning was pretty shaky with the double faults but I managed to play solid. I'm not sure if Clara was feeling that well, she said she didn't sleep well and I hope she has a good recovery,' Swiatek told the crowd. 'It's never easy to keep your focus. Sometimes when you're not feeling well you let go of everything and it can give you a boost. I hope she's going to be fine. Feeling good on the court = Feeling good off the court! 🤝 #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025 'It's pretty amazing, this is the first time I've ever enjoyed London. Sorry guys, I mean I've always enjoyed it. I feel good on the court when I feel good off the court.' Swiatek had been prepared to face a barrage of aces from Tauson, who came into the match having served the most aces in this year's women's tournament. Her tally of 27 aces meant she was averaging an impressive nine per match during her run to the fourth round, which included a win over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina two days ago. However, instead of adding to her count, Tauson surrendered the first set with a double fault and from then on her game fell apart as Swiatek won eight of the last nine games to reach the last eight for the second time in three years. Swiatek will face Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the semifinals. Switzerland's Belinda Bencic reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in nine attempts, dismissing 18th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4) 6-4 in just under two hours on a breezy Court One. Super Swiatek 🇵🇱 The No.8 seed sails through to the QF, beating Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-1 #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025 The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, 28, shed tears after she finally broke the fourth-round barrier 15 months after giving birth to her daughter Bella and said she felt very proud of herself. But she needed six match points to down 30-year-old Alexandrova, who just last month beat Bencic with the loss of only three games at the Den Bosch grass court tournament in the Netherlands. Bencic, who has been knocked out in the fourth round here three times before, said she turned the tide by being more courageous. 'I think I tried to be more brave. I had more matches under my belt and it turned out better than the last time I played her,' she said. 'I always got stuck in the fourth round. It was so important for me to break through to the quarterfinals,' she added. Alexandrova, who has also never passed the fourth round at the All England Club, blew hot and cold in the first set, dropping two service games before turning on the aggression, improving her second serve and fighting back to force a tiebreak. But Bencic, calm and businesslike, won four points in a row in the tiebreak and sealed the set after an hour and one minute when Alexandrova sent a backhand long. Bencic broke Alexandrova's serve in the eighth game of the second set but was unable to capitalise when serving for the match in a mammoth eight-deuce game that lasted some 15 minutes and during which the Russian saved five match points. But Bencic came fighting back on the Russian's serve with a forehand winner for a sixth match point, converting it when Alexandrova put a forehand long. The Swiss, ranked 35 but a former world number four, was one of nine mothers in the draw, but the only one to reach the fourth round. She gave birth in April last year and was back playing competitively within six months even reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open in January 2025. 'I'm really proud of myself and the whole team. We did an amazing job coming back,' she said. 'It's amazing to share the memories together as a family. I'm enjoying it more. I juggle it like every mum does.'
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Iga Swiatek makes hay on Wimbledon grass after Clara Tauson's serving skill deserts her
It has not been the best 12 months for Iga Swiatek but the Pole is finally finding form on grass, her least favoured surface, and is through to her 12th grand slam quarter-final after a 6-4, 6-1 win against the world No 22 Clara Tauson. It can be easy to forget how young Swiatek is, with five grand slam titles to her name at 24 years old. But the past year has shown there is room for growth in her game, with the player admitting she has mentally struggled. The Pole is seeded No 8 here – low for her standards – and her most recent singles title came more than a year ago, at the 2024 French Open. Her first final of this season came at the end of last month at Bad Homburg, where she lost against Jessica Pegula in straight sets. Tauson's lack of serve against the world No 4 was her biggest downfall, with the player hitting only one ace to Swiatek's four and having a lowly first-serve points won percentage of 64%. It was surprising given she had entered Wimbledon ranked second in the WTA for most aces served this year (223) and has served 28 aces at the tournament, the highest in women's singles. Her big first serves impressively helped to bring about her first career win against a top-20 player on grass in the last round, defeating the 2022 champion, Elena Rybakina. It was a very strange opening to the match with three straight breaks to start. Swiatek hit four double faults in her first two service games to hand Tauson, who repeatedly complained to the chair umpire the court was too slippery, the advantage. Both players proceeded to hold to love with Swiatek showing off her close net action while Tauson aimed to hit big. After a scruffy game, Swiatek broke as the Dane's booming forehands sailed long and then went ahead in the first set with a hold. Three more holds from the pair followed before Swiatek broke again to take the set, with Tauson beating her chest in frustration after hitting a forehand wide to hand the Pole the advantage before serving a double fault. At the changeover after the first set, Tauson took a medical timeout, speaking exasperatedly to her coach and boyfriend, Kasper Elsvad, before failing to win a single point in Swiatek's first service game of the second set, as the Pole hit promising slices to lead 1-0. Tauson followed up with an important hold, with a powerful backhand slice wrongfooting her opponent. The Pole hit the fastest serve of the match at 117mph to keep her serve and she looked a lot more settled than in the first set. In the next game, the former world No 1 looked incredibly frustrated after a close line call at her break point but she put her emotions to the side to win a stunning rally that had Tauson scrambling across the court. Another hold meant three games won in a row, sealed with two aces. She looked composed and as sure as she has been on the court in over a year, a stark comparison to Tauson, whose game was unravelling rapidly. Swiatek broke again with a backhand winner down the line before holding serve to fly into her second quarter-final at Wimbledon, only needing an hour and five minutes to finish the match off. She will face Liudmila Samsonova, the 19th seed who is yet to drop a set in the tournament. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'She is a really solid player,' Swiatek said of her next opponent. 'She is an even [player] from both sides [of the net]. We've played many matches. We have played three-setters as well and I remember it wasn't easy. I know that she can play well on fast surfaces so I will prepare tactically because I haven't been watching any matches and I will trust what my coach says. I will be ready.' It may have been a disappointing showing from Tauson, who was not physically at her best, but in her run – the first time in four attempts she has got past the opening round – she will surely be proud of equalling the best women's singles result achieved here in the Open era by a Danish player, made by Caroline Wozniacki six times.
