Second alternate Alexandrova had sat on the sidelines all week but her patience proved worthwhile on Wednesday when Keys – unable to advance – withdrew just hours before her match with Rybakina.
The 30-year-old, who has enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2025, received the nod after fellow Russian and first option Mirra Andreeva, who is also competing in the doubles, declared she was not fit to play.
Alexandrova started impressively but squandered three break points before returning a forehand wide to hand the first break and a 5-4 lead to Rybakina.
The big-hitting Rybakina, sporting tape on her serving shoulder, served out the first set to love before breaking early in the second courtesy of a backhand error off her opponent’s racquet.
As Alexandrova’s serve faltered, Rybakina stepped up a gear and she doubled her advantage with a brutal forehand winner on break point, only to immediately lose one of her breaks when serving for the match.
Her struggle to get over the finish line continued, forced to save two break points in her next service game, before eventually sealing victory on her second match point as Alexandrova sent a backhand long.
“Each win gives you confidence,” said Rybakina, 26. “Hopefully I can continue.”
In the doubles, 2022 champions Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens confirmed their semi-final berth with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Italian pair Paolini and Sara Errani.
They join Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko in advancing from the Martina Navratilova Group.
Trusting her natural ability, and the work she is doing with coach Wim Fissette to further improve, has also been the key to Swiatek turning around her season.
After a slump by her lofty standards at the start of the year, the former long-time world number one started the final major of the season as most people’s pick for the trophy.
The recently crowned Wimbledon champion, who won the US Open in 2022, underlined her credentials on the American hard courts with victory at the Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek was far from her best against 29th seed Kalinskaya, with a low serve percentage particularly damaging, and her relief was demonstrated by an animated celebration.
“I’m happy that I came back, kept being positive and figured it out,” Swiatek added.
In the other night-session match, Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia made light work of Greece’s Maria Sakkari after the pair took to court at 11:15pm local time.
Haddad Maia, seeded 18th, moved fast to wrap up a 6-1 6-2 victory, booking a last-16 match with Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova.
Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have proved they are only human, showing that even the best players in the world have to figure things out on the fly sometimes, as they fought back to claim victories at the US Open.
Wimbledon champion Swiatek embodied the day’s theme of triumph through adversity, clawing her way back from 5-1 down in the opening set against Anna Kalinskaya before grinding out a 7-6(2), 6-4 win in their third-round match on Saturday.
“I’m happy that I came back and kept … figuring out and problem-solving,” Swiatek said. “For sure, it wasn’t an easy match.”
The world number two was far from her sharpest in a scrappy, error-strewn contest – nine breaks and 67 unforced errors by both players combined painted the picture of a match won through sheer bloody-mindedness rather than sublime shot-making.
Yet Swiatek steadied herself at the key moments, saving four set points in the first set and breaking late in the second to notch her 20th major match win of the season and draw level with defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
“It’s not easy sometimes to find the solutions and to find the exact thing that will help you,” she added.
“You need to have your mind open enough to think about what you can do. Today was a pretty good day, I’d say, in terms of that, because, you know, at 5-1 or something, it’s easy to panic, and I didn’t.”
Her reward is a last-16 meeting with 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
World number one Sinner showed similar resolve, surrendering the opening set to 27th seed Denis Shapovalov before rallying to prevail 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-3.
The victory extended the 24-year-old Italian’s unbeaten run at hardcourt Grand Slams to 24 matches, a streak built not just on talent but on his ability to problem-solve when his best tennis abandons him.
“I’m not a machine, you know. I also struggle sometimes,” said Sinner, who was beaten by the Canadian in the opening round of the 2021 Australian Open in their only previous meeting.
“Every match is so difficult. Every challenge is so difficult.
“There are players who have more qualities or potential, and he’s one of them. I just tried to stay there mentally.”
Jannik Sinner came back from a set down to beat Denis Shapovalov [Elsa/Getty Images via AFP]
Zverev loses control – again
Not all the top seeds found the same winning formula.
World number three Alexander Zverev, still chasing his first Grand Slam title, saw his tournament end in frustration as Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied from a set down to stun the German 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4.
Zverev grew increasingly rattled as the match slipped away, slamming his racquet in frustration as Auger-Aliassime’s fearless shot-making turned the tide.
The extended weekend’s most intriguing battle of wills is yet to come, as Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff set up a fourth-round showdown that will dominate the headlines in the second week of the tournament.
Four-time major champion Osaka overcame a mid-match wobble to overpower 15th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, while last year’s champion Gauff dismissed Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-1 in her most convincing performance of the week.
Organisers could not have scripted it better for US fans: a showdown between two charismatic former champions six years after their memorable first meeting at Flushing Meadows.
In 2019, defending champion Osaka routed a tearful 15-year-old Gauff 6-3, 6-0, then comforted her opponent and urged her to address fans in the stadium, a display of sportsmanship that delighted the crowd.
“It would be a cool kind of deja vu type of situation, but hopefully it will be a different result,” Gauff said.
Six years after their first meeting in NYC, Coco and Naomi meet again in Round 4 🤩 pic.twitter.com/SzSKAbnCFh
Even the doubles courts reflected the theme of experience and determination, with 45-year-old Venus Williams and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez earning a 7-6(1), 6-1 win over Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi in their first tournament together.
Meanwhile, Andrey Rublev put an end to the fairytale run of Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong in five sets.
There were three more retirements in the men’s draw on Saturday after the injury-induced exit of sixth seed Ben Shelton the day before.
Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti and 435th-ranked Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi all moved on when their opponents threw in the towel.
Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, while Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova and Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk both won in three sets.
Former US Open champion Coco Gauff has stumbled into the second round of the tennis Grand Slam, squeezing past Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in an error-strewn three-hour battle.
Third seed Gauff punched her ticket to the second round on Tuesday, after overcoming a litany of self-inflicted errors to win 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5 in a match that lasted 2hr 57min.
“It was a tough match. Ajla was tough; she was getting so many balls back,” 2023 winner Gauff said after her win.
“It wasn’t the best but I’m happy to get through to the next round.”
Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, had prepared for the US Open by shaking up her coaching team on the eve of the tournament in an effort to fix her shaky service game, replacing coach Matt Daly with Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist.
However , on the evidence of Tuesday night, the 21-year-old American still has plenty to work on if she is to have any realistic chance of mounting a deep run in New York.
Gauff finished with a whopping 59 unforced errors and 10 double faults, and her serve was broken six times. She heads to the second round knowing that a more ruthless opponent than Tomljanovic might have punished those mistakes.
As it was, Tomljanovic had her own problems, suffering eight breaks of serve and making 56 unforced errors before bowing out.
Gauff admitted that her unsettled build-up to the tournament had been draining.
“Honestly it’s been really tough, mentally exhausting,” Gauff said. “But I’m trying. It wasn’t the best today, but it was an improvement on last week [in Cincinnati]; I’m just trying to improve with each match.”
Jannik Sinner wrapped up his first-round win over Vit Kopriva in 98 minutes [Timothy A Clary/AFP]
There were no such problems for the reigning Wimbledon champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, though, as they recorded emphatic victories.
World number one Sinner began his bid for back-to-back US Open titles by waltzing to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over Czech world number 89 Vit Kopriva, needing just 1hr 38min to advance to the next round.
“It feels great to be back here. Obviously it’s a very special tournament,” said Sinner, who is attempting to become the first man to repeat as US Open champion since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004-2008.
Sinner, 24, faces Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
“I’m very happy that I’m healthy again,” said the Italian, who was forced to retire from last week’s Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner’s blistering start on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court was matched by Poland’s Swiatek, who was similarly emphatic in a 6-1, 6-2 rout of Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.
Iga Swiatek served up an easy first-round win at the US Open [Timothy A Clary/AFP]
The 24-year-old from Poland was always in control against 84th-ranked Arango, overwhelming the Colombian with some powerful groundstrokes mixed with some deft work at the net.
The win makes Swiatek the first woman in history to win 65 consecutive WTA-level first round matches, surpassing Monica Seles’s previous record of 64.
The six-time Grand Slam singles champion – a winner in New York in 2022 – will face the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens in the second round.
IGA SWIATEK WORLD RECORD‼️
Iga Swiatek breaks Monica Seles’ record for most consecutive opening matches won in the Open Era. pic.twitter.com/iS9VFjfSLB
Meanwhile , two-time former champion Naomi Osaka had no difficulty in dispatching Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4.
The Japanese former world number one revelled in returning to a venue that she regards as a home from home.
“Whenever I play here the atmosphere feels like home, and it is home for me,” said Osaka, who is seeded 23rd and will next face American Hailey Baptiste.
In other women’s draw results on Tuesday, Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk took down Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-4, 6-4. Eighth seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States ousted Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-2.
Brazil’s 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia advanced with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over Britain’s Sonay Kartal. But there was disappointment for rising French star Lois Boisson. Boisson, who captivated her homeland with a run to the semifinals of the French Open in June, exited in three sets to Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic, losing 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
Elsewhere, 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti outlasted big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4 6-4 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium and will face Belgian David Goffin.
After Daniil Medvedev’s chaotic exit on Sunday, Marin Cilic became the latest former champion to be knocked out as 23rd seed Alexander Bublik beat the Croat 6-4 6-1 6-4 on Grandstand, while American 14th seed Tommy Paul made short work of Denmark’s Elmer Moller 6-3 6-3 6-1 to book a second-round clash with Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
Third seed Alexander Zverev closed out the evening’s action on the main showcourt by beating Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 6-2 7-6(4) 6-4 to set up a meeting with Jacob Fearnley.
Elsewhere, eighth seed Amanda Anisimova made it safely through to the second round by beating Australian Kim Birrell 6-3 6-2.
American Anisimova, playing her first Grand Slam match since being beaten 6-0 6-0 by Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, hit 17 unforced errors in the opening set but improved markedly in the second.
She won the last five games of the match to set up a second-round meeting with another Australian, teenager Maya Joint.
However, her compatriot Danielle Collins made an early exit for the second consecutive year, winning just two games as she was beaten by Jacqueline Cristian of Romania.
World number 50 Cristian prevailed 6-2 6-0 against 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist Collins, who was hampered by a back injury.
Meanwhile, two-time champion Naomi Osaka – seeded 23rd – cruised past Belgium’s Greet Minnen in a 6-3 6-4 win.
Russian Diana Shnaider, the 20th seed, also went out after Germany’s Laura Siegemund secured a 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-3 victory over the 21-year-old.
If any of the four Slams could throw up a different winner, then recent history suggests it could happen at the US Open.
The slightly slower hard courts, humid conditions and its slot as the final major in a busy season have been contributing factors to six different champions in the past seven years.
Novak Djokovic is the only man to win it twice during that period. Even though he is now 38, the Serb remains the leading contender to stop defending champion Sinner and 2022 winner Alcaraz.
German third seed Alexander Zverev has not yet won a Grand Slam title despite his his pedigree, appearing to lack belief against the very best at the business end of majors.
In a bid to get over the line, the three-time major finalist recently enlisted the help of Toni Nadal – who coached his nephew Rafael to 16 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
The trip to Nadal’s academy in Majorca came after Zverev’s first-round exit at Wimbledon, where he opened up about receiving psychological help to get “out of the hole” he was in.
“Of course to beat Alcaraz and Sinner is not easy but he has more chances to beat these two guys more than most others,” Nadal told BBC Sport.
If the opening day had the air of an exhibition at certain times, the finals night immediately felt like business.
From the start it brought the feel of a traditional US Open showpiece event, with a patriotic rendition of the national anthem and a group of US Marine Corps standing with an unfurled Stars and Stripes flag providing pomp.
Many feel the overhaul has devalued the mixed doubles as a major title. Some are even putting asterisks next to the champions.
Given that, the stadium announcer outlining what winning the title would mean for each player’s Grand Slam résumé felt like an attempt to add legitimacy.
The opening semi-final was played at a ferocious intensity – not surprising given the will-to-win of the characters involved – while Ruud calling for a VAR-style check on a Pegula shot was another indication of how seriously it was being taken.
At 3-3 30-30, the umpire confirmed the American had not reached over the net – following fervent discussion between the opposing players – with Pegula and Draper using the momentum to win the opening set.
But Pegula’s clasp of her head after they blew an 8-4 lead in the first-to-10 match tie-break summed up their bitter disappointment at missing a shot for the trophy.
Unsurprisingly, Errani and Vavassori were also seriously pumped up.
The duo mirroring Hulk Hogan-style underarm bicep flexes after winning their semi-final was one of the defining images.
While the energy on court ramped up, the emphasis on providing entertainment for those watching in the stands remained.
A pair of DJs were perched behind courtside decks, tasked with whipping up the crowd through a New York-inspired playlist including Jay-Z, Cyndi Lauper and the Friends theme tune, while the familiar sight of Celeb Cam and Dance Cam added to the party atmosphere.
Fashion icon Anna Wintour, who recently stepped back from her role as Vogue editor-in-chief, added further star-dust in a near-full capacity crowd.
Thousands stayed late until the end and were rewarded with a fine finale to a transformative tournament which looks destined to stay in the coming years.
Jack Draper has spoken following his mixed doubles win over Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, along with partner Jessica Pegula.
I have got a pretty good partner.
What an experience playing out here with Jessica, playing Emma and Carlos, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Just a pleasure to be out here.
Jack Draper
How to watch
The US Open is set to restart tonight.
The event resumed at 7pm ET, which is 12am BST.
Fans can watch it on ESPN and Sky Sports.
Djokovic tippeed for shock win
Novak Djokovic has been backed by iconic tennis coach Rick Macci to win the US Open, but only if a few things go his way.
Maci said of the Serb:”He can win the US Open because he still checks enough boxes.
“He has to make sure that he’s not playing four or five hours the other matches because you’ve got a day or whatever to get back and do it again.
“It’s the physical and mental toll that’s going to be tough on his body, but if the draw breaks the right way, or if Alcaraz or Sinner, something happens to them along the way…
“It changes the whole roadmap, the way you’re looking at this thing. He definitely could win the US Open, but those things have to happen.
“But if he has a lot of tough matches and then he has to go through both those guys, I think that’s kind of rough sledding.”
Novak speaks
Novak Djokovic took to X to express his delight at sharing the court with protege Olga Danilovic in their mixed doubles match with Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva.
He wrote on X: “Always fun playing mix doubles with Olga.
“Thank you@usopen for the WC opportunity to play.”
Womens seedings confirmed
The seedings for the women’s US Open have been confirmed.
Unsurprisingly, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed, with Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff being second and third seeds, respectively.
Check out the full seedings below.
Pegula reacts to mixed doubles win with Draper
She said: “This stadium was packed, so thanks to everyone for showing up.
“That was such a fun atmosphere. Even if it meant a couple of highlight-reel shots by Carlos to get the crowd going, it was really fun.
“I’ve played doubles a lot. I haven’t played that much recently.
“So, it’s always tricky, especially going into a mixed format, playing against other people who don’t play a lot of doubles.
“It was a lot of fun. Jack played great. Excited to be back soon.”
World number three Iga Swiatek powered to a straight-set win over Elena Rybakina to reach the final of the Cincinnati Open where she will face Jasmine Paolini.
Their meeting will be a repeat of last year’s French Open final – won by Poland’s Swiatek in dominant fashion.
Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, swept past Kazakhstan’s Rybakina 7-5 6-3 on Sunday to reach her first Cincinnati showpiece.
Rybakina – who beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals – started brightly but failed to exploit an early break in the first set before Swiatek took control.
“That was a tough match,” said Swiatek. “At the beginning it was pretty crazy, we played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t even run to the second ball.
“I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance.
“It will be super tough in the final. I will have to prepare tactically but I will focus on myself and try to continue the work I have been doing.”
Italy’s Paolini battled past Russian Veronika Kudermetova in her semi-final 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3.
Paolini served for the match in the second set only to see her advantage slip away, but the story of the encounter was Kudermetova’s tally of 75 unforced errors.
After four breaks of serve between the pair in the opening five games, Raducanu came from 30-0 down to grab another and make it 5-3.
The 22-year-old won seven points in a row to bring up three set points and took the first with an ace.
In the second set, Raducanu drew errors from her 24-year-old opponent and eventually earned a break for 3-2.
From that point the world number 39, ranked four spots higher than Danilovic, did not drop another game as she booked her spot in the third round in Ohio.
Raducanu is playing in the WTA 1,000 event for the first time since 2022 and could next face world number one Aryna Sabalenka, against whom she suffered a narrow Wimbledon defeat last month.
Earlier, Poland’s Iga Swiatek eased through to the last 32 as the Wimbledon champion claimed a 6-1 6-4 win over Russian Anastasia Potapova.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys of the United States saved two match points before beating Germany’s Eva Lys 1-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1).
The level of shot-making and athleticism produced by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as their fast-developing rivalry continued in the men’s singles final was a joy to behold.
Except, perhaps, if you’re one of the guys trying to usurp them. The pair look set to maintain a stranglehold on the men’s game for the foreseeable future.
Certainly it will take something extraordinary for somebody to prevent Sinner or Alcaraz winning the US Open and sweeping the Grand Slams for the second successive season.
Swiatek joins all-court greats
Few would have picked Iga Swiatek pre-tournament as their women’s champion.
But the 24-year-old Pole has now won majors on all the surfaces after needing just 57 minutes to beat Amanda Anisimova in a scarcely believable 6-0 6-0 win.
Despite a difficult year where she dropped down the rankings, Swiatek has reasserted some of her authority after becoming the youngest woman since Serena Williams in 2002 to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces.
Time catching up with Djokovic
In truth, this has been apparent for a while. Novak Djokovic has not won a major title since the 2023 US Open and it was widely accepted Wimbledon represented his best chance of breaking the Sinner-Alcaraz duopoly.
The 38-year-old Serb continues to defy the ageing process but losing to Sinner in the semi-finals – ending his bid for a standalone record 25th major title – was another indication he doesn’t have enough in the tank to match the young guns.
Humans versus technology
The ongoing topic of humans being made redundant by technology spilled over into Wimbledon.
The All England Club replaced line judges with an electronic line-calling system, but had to apologise after the technology was turned off in error and missed three calls in one game.
LONDON — Iga Swiatek won her first Wimbledon championship with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Amanda Anisimova on Saturday in the first women’s final at the tournament in 114 years in which one player failed to claim a single game.
Swiatek’s victory on a sunny, breezy afternoon at Centre Court took just 57 minutes and gave Swiatek her sixth Grand Slam title overall. She is now 6-0 in major title matches.
The 24-year-old from Poland finished with a 55-24 edge in total points and accumulated that despite needing to produce merely 10 winners. Anisimova was shaky from the start and made 28 unforced errors.
Swiatek already owned four trophies from the French Open’s red clay and one from the U.S. Open’s hard courts, but this is the first title of her professional career at any grass-court tournament. And it ended a long-for-her drought: Swiatek last won a trophy anywhere more than a year ago, at Roland-Garros in June 2024.
Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was sitting in the Royal Box on Saturday and took part in the on-court ceremony afterward.
Swiatek is the eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion at Wimbledon, but her triumph stands out from the others because it came in a stunningly dominant performance against Anisimova, a 23-year-old American who was participating in her first final at a major.
Anisimova eliminated No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals but never looked like she was the same player Saturday. When it was over, while Swiatek climbed into the stands to celebrate with her team, Anisimova sat on the sideline in tears.
All the way back in 1911, Dorothea Lambert Chambers was a 6-0, 6-0 winner against Dora Boothby.
Swiatek never had been past the quarterfinals of the All England Club and her only other final on the slick surface came when she was the runner-up at a tuneup event in Germany right before Wimbledon began.
Swiatek spent most of 2022, 2023 and 2024 at No. 1 in the WTA rankings but was seeded No. 8 at Wimbledon after going more than a year without claiming a title anywhere. She served a one-month doping ban last year after failing an out-of-competition drug test; an investigation determined she was inadvertently exposed to a contaminated medical product used for trouble sleeping and jet lag.
Anisimova, who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida, was a semifinalist at age 17 at the 2019 French Open.
She took time away from the tour a little more than two years ago because of burnout. A year ago, she tried to qualify for Wimbledon, because her ranking of 189th was too low to get into the field automatically, but lost in the preliminary event.
Anisimova will break into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time next week.
Swiatek, a former world No.1, did not drop a game in the women’s singles final to claim her sixth Grand Slam title.
Iga Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the most one-sided women’s Wimbledon final for 114 years to seal her sixth Grand Slam.
The Polish eighth seed, who has now won all six major finals in which she has competed, was in charge from the first point and wrapped up victory in just 57 minutes on Saturday.
It is the first time a woman has won a final at Wimbledon without dropping a game since 1911.
And Swiatek, 24, is just the second player in the Open era to win a major title without losing a game in the final after Steffi Graf beat Natalia Zvereva at the 1988 French Open.
Swiatek, who reached the final of the grass-court tournament at Bad Homburg two weeks ago, has looked increasingly strong while the top seeds tumbled at the All England Club.
She lost just one set in her run to the final.
But US 13th-seed Anisimova was expected to prove a stern test after ousting world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
Swiatek in action during the women’s singles final against Amanda Anisimova [Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters]
Anisimova made a nervous start in hot conditions on Centre Court.
She was broken in the first game, soon slipping 2-0 behind, and the signs looked ominous.
She appeared to have found her feet in her next service game, but the tenacious Swiatek refused to give ground and recovered to move 3-0 ahead when Anisimova double-faulted.
At 4-0 down, Anisimova was facing a first-set wipe-out, but she was powerless to halt the rampant Swiatek, who sealed the first set 6-0 in just 25 minutes.
The American won just six points on her serve in the first set and committed 14 unforced errors.
An increasingly desperate Anisimova could not stem the tide in the second set, double-faulting again in the third game to give her opponent game point and then netting a backhand.
The crowd got behind her, but to no avail as Swiatek kept up her level, serving out to win and celebrating before consoling her devastated opponent.
The distraught Anisimova left the court briefly before returning for the trophy presentation.
Swiatek is Wimbledon’s eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion since Serena Williams won her seventh and final title at the All England Club in 2016.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek, right, with Amanda Anisimova of the US after winning the women’s singles final at Wimbledon [Toby Melville/Reuters]
If Swiatek had not already proved she should be ranked among the greats of the game, she has certainly done so now.
Mastering a surface considered her weakest – even though she won the Wimbledon junior title in 2018 – has added further credence to her case.
Swiatek has become the youngest woman since 23-time champion Serena Williams in 2002 to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces.
A sixth major takes her clear of Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis, with only a total of 10 women now having won more in the Open era.
Swiatek 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 courts.
Grass was the surface she had not cracked.
Before this triumph, Swiatek had made the second week at the All England Club only once, when she reached the quarter-finals in 2023.
Losing in this year’s Roland Garros semi-finals – early by her previous standards – meant she had longer to prepare on the surface, helping her quickly readjust improve her confidence and game.
Anisimova’s struggles meant she was not fully tested. Nevertheless, the weight and depth of Swiatek’s ball provided constant pressure which her opponent could not deal with.
Both players are understandably going to be nervous coming into the match – it’s the Wimbledon final! The outcome will likely come down to who manages the occasion better.
Anisimova was pretty nervous in her quarter-final win against Anastasia Pavyluchenkova, to the point where she kept dropping to the floor on her haunches in the last couple of games – even when it wasn’t match point.
It was an illustration of the feeling of desperation she was facing as she edged closer to victory.
We saw similar reactions a few times early on in the semi-final against Aryna Sabalenka too but she managed to settle more as the match went on.
Swiatek, having won majors and having been the world number one for such a long time, has the edge in terms of experience – that absolutely counts for a lot.
But Anisimova has nothing to lose. Of course she is desperate to win the Wimbledon final, but at the start of the fortnight she would never have thought she would actually be here in the championship match.
She can close her eyes in the final and have a swing – which fits best into what she does. This circumstances allows her to be more dangerous.
So she can go out there and play freely, whereas I think Swiatek might feel extra pressure.
Swiatek has never won the singles title here, she’s the higher ranked and many people will expect her to lift the trophy.
I think being the underdog favours Anisimova and it fits in well with her aggressive game style.
Bencic was not worried about her sleep being broken by her 14-month-old daughter, Bella, who is with her in London.
“I don’t adjust anything, I’m just being a mum at home. When she cries in the night, I’ll wake up,” said Bencic, who is seeking to become the first mother to win a Wimbledon singles title in 45 years.
“It’s not something that’s going to affect me for my [match].”
Earlier during Wimbledon, she explained: “I see myself as a mum first, and then tennis player. My priorities are clearly with my family.”
It has been nearly six years since Bencic last reached the final four of a Grand Slam, ultimately losing in straight sets to Bianca Andreescu in the 2019 US Open semi-finals.
Having been on maternity leave from September 2023 to October 2024, she said she has been “surprised” by how quickly the positive results have come.
Bencic started the year ranked 489th in the world and is now projected to break back into the world’s top 20 after Wimbledon. Success this year has also included winning the Abu Dhabi WTA 500 title in February.
She said motherhood has had a positive impact on her approach to being a professional player, making her “more relaxed” and ensuring she has less time to think about tennis.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka moved a step closer to a maiden French Open title by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek in a blockbuster semi-final.
Sabalenka will meet second seed Coco Gauff in Saturday’s showpiece after the American ruthlessly ended French wildcard Lois Boisson’s incredible run.
Belarus’ Sabalenka earned a 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-0 victory to end fifth seed Swiatek’s 26-match winning run at the tournament.
After a slow start on the Roland Garros clay, Poland’s Swiatek fought back to level but Sabalenka dominated a 22-minute deciding set.
Sabalenka, whose three Grand Slam titles have all come on hard courts, has never reached the Paris final before.
“It feels incredible but the job is not done yet. I’m thrilled with my performance,” the 27-year-old said.
“Iga is the toughest opponent, especially at Roland Garros, I’m proud I managed to get this win.”
Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek in 2022, won 6-1 6-2 against world number 361 Boisson, who was appearing in her first Grand Slam main draw.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka edged a tight encounter against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen to reach the French Open semi-finals.
Sabalenka, bidding for a first Paris title, won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 against China’s Zheng on a blustery Court Phillippe Chatrier.
The Belarusian – arguably the favourite for the title – had to come back from a break down in the first set but showed all her fighting quality to advance.
“That was a true battle – I have no idea how I was able to get back into that first set,” Sabalenka said.
“I was ready to leave everything I have on court to win.”
Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros, with her improved serve and movement reaping rewards.
A potential mouth-watering meeting with three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek could await if the Pole beats Elina Svitolina in the second semi-final.
