Latest news with #QueenOfClay
CNA
4 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Swiatek revels in special Wimbledon triumph after hitting Grand Slam six
LONDON :Iga Swiatek bulldozed her way to a maiden Wimbledon title on Saturday to take her Grand Slam tally to six and although the Pole preferred not to rank her wins, she said her latest one felt a little more special than the others. The 24-year-old has won four Suzanne Lenglen Cups in the last six editions of the French Open to establish herself as the 'Queen of Clay' and conquered the hardcourts of the U.S. Open in 2022, but the grasscourts of Wimbledon have always proved slippery. Having crossed the quarter-final hurdle for the first time this year, she brutally dismantled Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the final to confirm herself as a versatile virtuoso of the women's game. "I don't know. I think the fact that it's on grass, it makes it more special, I would say, and more unexpected. It feels like the emotions are bigger, because in Roland Garros I know I can play well, and I know I can show it every year," Swiatek said. "Here, I wasn't sure of that. I needed to prove that to myself. I'm not going to rank them, because I just have so much respect for the other tournaments. I worked really hard to win all the other Grand Slams. "So there's no point choosing between them. But this one and the U.S. Open feel, I don't know, better because no one expected that. It wasn't a relief. It was more of good tennis and working to make it happen without baggage on your shoulders." Swiatek reached her first grasscourt final last month at Bad Homburg before her triumphant fortnight at the All England Club and said she was a little surprised with her level on the sport's fastest surface after the French Open. "Well, 'shocked' would be too big of a word. For sure I was surprised with the consistency," Swiatek said. "I knew I can do it before, but I don't think I ever served so well throughout the whole three weeks even. Bad Homburg was also a good tournament in terms of that. It was always more up and down. "I was just using the good feelings I had on the court. It felt great. I know in my mind I can be focused. I'm not going to waste points and let them go for free. But my level of tennis helped me to keep that on a constant level." While Anisimova appeared to have frozen under pressure, Swiatek said she relied on her experience to get through. "Finals sometimes are a bit ugly because there's so much stress. I used the experience from before," she added. "Today I just wanted to enjoy the time that I had on Centre Court and enjoy the last hours of me playing well on grass. Who knows if it's going to happen again. I just focused on that and I really had fun," she added with a smile.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
What's changed for 'surprise' Wimbledon finalist Swiatek?
Few would have predicted Iga Swiatek's best Grand Slam result so far this season would come at the eighth seed is "surprised" she has reached the 24, became known as the 'Queen of Clay' after winning four French Open titles in five years, while her two-year reign as the world number one - ended by Aryna Sabalenka last year - was underpinned by consistent success on the hard was the outlier. But the narrative that Swiatek cannot play on the surface - despite having won a junior Wimbledon title in 2018 - has now been smashed after she reached the SW19 final."I'm not going to say I wouldn't believe [I could reach the Wimbledon final] because I kind of believe and I know in tennis a lot can happen," Swiatek said."But I guess I would have thought I would need to do a lot to be in this place and learn a lot."So how has Poland's Swiatek discovered herself on the Wimbledon grass? Finding more peace What makes the run even more surprising is Swiatek has been nowhere near her dominant best over the past did not reach a final for a year after her 2024 French Open triumph, slipping to eighth in the world - her lowest ranking since March 2022 - as a were a mixture of reasons - on and off the court - as to why Swiatek's level has in the Olympics semi-finals in Paris last summer was a bitter blow, with Swiatek saying she cried for "six hours" November came a bigger bombshell - Swiatek had failed a doping was announced she had tested positive for heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample. She was subsequently given a one-month ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted the result was caused by issues cropped up at the start of this year. In May, Swiatek told BBC Sport how it was difficult to "accept" having her life turned "upside down", saying she was still looking for "a peaceful time".Former world number nine Andrea Petkovic, now regarded as one of the most astute current analysts, saw a "new freshness" when Swiatek played her first grass-court event at Bad Homburg."For most of this year you could sense pressure and tension when she stepped on court. In Bad Homburg you could see that was gone," the German told BBC Sport."She is always going to be a player who is intense on court but there was just a bit more ease and seamlessness about her."Right away, I made a hot call before Wimbledon saying she is going to win it." More time to prepare on grass Before this year, Swiatek had only moved into the second week of Wimbledon once, when she reached the 2023 a shock third-round defeat by Yulia Putintseva last year, Swiatek said she had not given herself enough time to mentally recover from her French Open year, having lost to Sabalenka in the Roland Garros semi-finals, she went to Mallorca for a week's training on grass before returning to competitive action in Bad reached the final at the WTA 500 event, where a defeat by Jessica Pegula left her in tears, but it was an indication that her level on the surface had improved."I feel like I have developed as a player and I had time to practise a little bit more [this year]," said Swiatek."I would say we mainly focused on my movement and how I should stop before hitting the ball. "Also, [we worked] on fast hands because obviously it's important here not to stop the movement, even though the ball sometimes is fast." Technical tweaks bedding in Swiatek decided to switch coach at the end of last year, replacing Tomasz Wiktorowski with Wim Fissette, and it has taken time for the tweaks she was making to bed serve is an area which Fissette has focused Pole has won 78% of her first-serve points at Wimbledon - the joint second highest in the women's singles."When you make a big change and hire a new coach, it takes a while to see the changes," said Petkovic."You feel well, you feel you're progressing and you're expecting to see results right away. But it doesn't happen right away."I think she got a bit hectic at the start of the season. Now something is different and she has a bit more patience with herself. "I think she's also forgiving herself a bit more if she makes a few unforced errors on the grass." Warmer conditions Swiatek's top-spin forehand has been fundamental to her success at the French Open, but does not regularly have the same effect at lower bounce of the usually slicker grass has previously taken away the time she likes to set up her killer shot, which bounces higher on the clay and goes out of her opponent's strike zone. But the warmer conditions at this Wimbledon fortnight seem to have helped firmer courts mean Swiatek can also take the ball higher at contact point, which she prefers and allows her to generate more top-spin. Agnieszka Radwanska, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2012, feels an athletic clay-courter like Swiatek could also be benefitting from the SW19 grass losing court speed."The grass is much slower and I feel it is getting slower and slower," said Radwanska."When the temperature is over 30 degrees, the courts are not slippery and the ball stops on the grass. It is much slower and much harder to finish the point. "You have to be more patient. You're not winning the rally in two or three shots, it is more like four or five shots - it is a different game to before. "Clay-court players who have more time to prepare during the rally are loving it."
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coco Gauff Earns New Nickname After Winning French Open
Coco Gauff Earns New Nickname After Winning French Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Coco Gauff made history at the French Open as just the fifth American woman to win multiple singles Grand Slam titles in the Open era at age 21 or younger. Not only that, but she's also the first American woman to secure the Roland-Garros title since Serena Williams did so in 2015. Advertisement Gauff took down World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday to claim her second Grand Slam title following her 2023 US Open win. It wasn't an easy match for the youngster after losing a tight first set, but she was able to secure the victory thanks to her defense, lob shots and overall smart play. It also helped Gauff that Sabalenka committed 70 unforced errors in a rather uncharacteristic performance. After Gauff bagged the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup — the trophy awarded to the women's singles champion at the French Open since 1979 — fans were quick to crown her and give her a new nickname: the "Queen of Clay." "The new queen of clay," the BNP Paribas Open's X account wrote. Wide World of Sports echoed the same thing, writing, "There's a new queen of clay!" Advertisement "HUGE CONGRATS TO THE NEW QUEEN OF CLAY!!!" a fan shared. Another one remarked, "Common queen of clay!!" "The Queen of Clay!" a social media user wrote. "My clay Queen. My Lawn Tennis court Queen. My Winning Queen. Keep winning for Jesus Christ," a supporter stated. Coco Gauff of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the women's French Open.© Susan Mullane-Imagn Images For what it's worth, many consider World No. 5 Iga Swiatek as the Queen of Clay, and for good reason. She has four French Open titles to her name, winning the competition in 2020 and for three straight years from 2022 to 2024. Coco Gauff, for her part, is certainly making a case to dethrone Swiatek, though. It should be noted that she's the youngest player to reach 25 wins at Roland-Garros since Martina Hingis in 2000. Advertisement By reaching the Roland-Garros final, the USA tennis star also made history as the youngest player to reach the title match of the Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open in the same year — all three are the biggest clay-court tournaments in the tennis season. Gauff probably needs to win consistently in the French Open to become the undisputed "Queen of Clay," but she's definitely on the right track. Related: Aryna Sabalenka Facing Backlash for Coco Gauff Message After French Open Loss Related: Coco Gauff's Behavior After Winning French Open Final is Turning Heads This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Raducanu outclassed by Swiatek at French Open
Emma Raducanu's miserable record against Iga Swiatek continued as she was outclassed by the defending champion in their French Open second-round British number two was beaten 6-1 6-2 on the Paris clay and has now lost all five of her matches against the five-time Grand Slam was another reminder of the gulf that still exists between 41st-ranked Raducanu and the leading players on the WTA being unable to convert a break point in the second game, 22-year-old Raducanu quickly lost her way as fifth seed Swiatek rattled off five games in a second serve was placed under serious pressure and her groundstrokes became increasingly ragged as the 23-year-old from Poland secured the opening set in 35 who has won four of the past five Roland Garros titles, is known as the 'Queen of Clay' because of her formidable record here and quickly moved a break ahead at 2-1 in the second a below-par clay-court swing, though, there are some questions about her level and they resurfaced when Raducanu threatened to break back Swiatek managed to maintain her intensity under pressure - one of the key differences between players of her status and Raducanu - to save three break points in a lengthy fourth who was sick before her opening match on Monday, began to run out of steam and lost the final three games with little resistance.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rivals attempt to dethrone Swiatek at French Open
French Open 2025 Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app Will Iga Swiatek's reign at the French Open continue - or can one of her rivals dethrone the 'Queen of Clay'? The 23-year-old is the three-time defending champion in Paris and has won four of the past five titles there. But Poland's former world number one does not arrive at Roland Garros with her usual air of invincibility. Swiatek has not lifted a trophy, or even made a final, since winning the French Open 12 months ago - a period during which she served a one month doping suspension. Why Swiatek's reign as 'Queen of Clay' is under threat Among the main threats to Swiatek's bid to become the first woman to win four consecutive French Open titles are Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. Sabalenka replaced Swiatek as world number one towards the end of 2024, having won two of the four Grand Slams that year. The Belarusian, runner-up at the Australian Open in January, is in imperious form. She won the Madrid Open in the build-up to Roland Garros and has won 34 of her 40 matches this season. American Gauff, meanwhile, has not lost before the quarter-finals in her past four French Open appearances. Runner-up three years ago, 2023 US Open champion Gauff was denied another title tilt by Swiatek in the semi-finals last year. American world number three Jessica Pegula is chasing a first major but, after missing last year's tournament through injury, is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals at the French Open. Italy's Jasmine Paolini reached two major finals in a breakout 2024 season, including losing to Swiatek in Paris, and beat Gauff to the Italian Open title in May. History-making teenager Mirra Andreeva is also a contender. The 18-year-old Russian reached the semi-finals last year and, after becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1,000 title in February, could become the youngest woman to win a major since 2004. China's Zheng Qinwen, meanwhile, won Olympic gold at on the Roland Garros clay last summer and stunned Sabalenka at the Italian Open earlier in May. Katie Boulter is the top-ranked British woman in the singles draw but the 28-year-old has never won a match at the French Open. However, Boulter won her first WTA Tour match on clay in Madrid last month before celebrating her first clay-court title at a WTA 125 event in Paris last week. Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu said she was beginning to "build a relationship" with clay courts while completing her French Open preparations in Strasbourg, but suffered an injury scare in her second-round exit. Raducanu will hope to overcome any back issue quickly, having returned to the world's top 50, reached the Italian Open fourth round and beat world number 17 Daria Kasatkina on the clay in recent months. Fellow Britons Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage will also contest the women's singles. Britons Olivia Nicholls is in the women's doubles with partner Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia, while Harriet Dart will play alongside Australia's Kimberley Birrell.
