6-0 6-0! Swiatek’s historic blitz to win Wimbledon
Ian Chadband |
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 recent 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.
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.”
Indeed, Animisova couldn’t find her first serve and was error-ridden, coughing up 28 mistakes in just a dozen games, while Swiatek, with just 11 unforced errors, was a model of efficiency, finally sealing the match with a 10th winner, a lovely backhand.
Swiatek is the eighth consecutive first-time Wimbledon champion, but her’s is a name that truly belongs in the event’s hall of fame after her previous struggles had seen her never get beyond the quarter-finals.
“I didn’t even dream of this, because it was way too far,” smiled Swiatek on court afterwards. “I never really expected this one.”
Inevitably, though, 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.
The previous year, she had lost in qualifying, but returned this year with a superb run sealed by a spectacular victory over world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semis.
“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.
Swiatek, 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 going more than a year without claiming a title since the 2024 French Open win. Now she’s back where she belongs.
AAP
