World No.1 Iga Swiatek has been knocked out of the Wimbledon championships in a match where she lost 12 out of the last 15 games played.
The top seed struggled for consistency in her shotmaking and appeared overwhelmed throughout her 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, loss to Yulia Putintseva. A 29-year-old Kazakh who has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam three times during her career.
Swiatek looked panicky during the later stages of the match and at one point close to tears. Even a lengthy toilet break between the second and third set failed to help her regain any momentum in her tennis. Overall she hit 38 unforced errors which was considerably more than Putintseva’s tally of 15.
“It feels great. The tactic was to play my game and stay intense every point,” the world No.35 said.
“I was thinking during the play that I beat the world No 1 on grass before [Naomi Osaka]. I was always really fired up as I have no words, I’m just so happy.”
Swiatek, who has recorded 45 Tour-level wins this season, had never lost to her opponent before today. The defeat continues her mixed record at Wimbledon which is the only Grand Slam where she has yet to reach the semi-final stage.
Meanwhile, Putintseva’s impressive display should come as no surprise given her recent results. She is yet to lose a match on the grass this year after winning the Birmingham Open. She has now won eight matches in a row, which is her best-ever streak on the Tour.
“You guys brought me back to life after the first set. It was a great energy from all of you today, I was feeling it and trying to entertain you with my shots. Thank you.” She said in tribute to the Court One crowd.
In the last 16 Putintseva will play former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. They re currently tied at 2-2 in there head-to-head.
“Can I just rest for the moment and not think about what I have to do right now?” She said of the upcoming meeting.
“Come back to practice tomorrow and see what I can do against Jelena.”
This wasn’t the only shock in the women’s draw on Saturday. Another high-profile casualty is two-time finalist Ons Jabeur who was beaten 6-2, 7-6(4), by Elina Svitolina. It is her earliest exit from the tournament since 2019.
