Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula dumped out of Wimbledon at quarter-final stage by unseeded players

LONDON – Even the world’s best players are not immune to crippling nerves, as Iga Swiatek discovered when her Wimbledon dreams were turned to dust in a 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 quarter-final defeat by Ukrainian wildcard Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.

Svitolina said she intended to “enjoy the moment and have a beer”.

“In my head, I don’t know what’s happening. It’s an unbelievable moment. If you had told me before the tournament I would get to the semi-finals, I’d say you were crazy.”

Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after giving birth to her daughter last October, was 4-2 down in the opening set and struggled to get her serve going in blustery conditions on Centre Court as Swiatek moved into a 5-3 lead.

But the momentum suddenly swung Svitolina’s way as, from 0-30 down on her serve in the ninth game, she went on to win 16 of the next 18 points to bag the first set and leave a stunned Swiatek wondering what had gone wrong.

That sequence included breaking top seed Swiatek’s serve twice in succession, with the Pole surrendering the first of those to love with a double fault.

After Swiatek guided a backhand volley into the tramlines to hand Svitolina the set, the players had to endure a 20-minute break as the roof was closed to shut out the dark clouds hovering over Centre Court.

That interlude gave Swiatek a chance to re-evaluate her tactics and she came back to break Svitolina for a 2-1 lead in the second set.

A backhand error gave Swiatek the set and many thought Svitolina’s moment to shine had come and gone, as surely the world No. 1 would now stamp her authority and race away with the decider.

But, having already beaten three Grand Slam champions in the run-up to her showdown with Swiatek, Svitolina had an appetite for beating more celebrated opponents.

She was not going to let the Pole stand in her way of a first Wimbledon semi-final since 2019.

Svitolina broke for a 2-1 lead and then blew a hole in the aura around Swiatek, who was on a 14-match winning streak which included her run to a third French Open title, after grabbing a double break two games later.

There was no coming back for Swiatek from that gaping abyss and a forehand into the net handed Svitolina a remarkable win.

Svitolina hailed Swiatek for her unwavering support of Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country.

The Polish star organised a benefit exhibition match in 2022 to raise funds for humanitarian causes in Ukraine. A heavily pregnant Svitolina acted as chair umpire.

“Iga is a great champion and an unbelievable person. She was one of the first to help Ukraine people. It’s not easy to play against someone with whom you share great memories,” said Svitolina.

There was also an upset in the other quarter-final as the unseeded Marketa Vondrousova came back from the brink to beat fourth seed Jessica Pegula and reach her first Wimbledon semi-final, where she will take on Svitolina.

The Czech player, ranked 42nd in the world, clawed her way back from 4-1 down in the deciding set to win 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

“I don’t know what happened. I was 1-4 down. It’s an amazing feeling. Thank you guys for the support, it was amazing,” said the 24-year-old.

“My best result here was the second round. I just got better. I’m just loving grass now.”

She finished with seven aces, compared with zero for Pegula, hitting 24 winners against 35 unforced errors.

Vondrousova, who reached the French Open final in 2019, said she had benefited from the roof being closed.

“I’ve never played here on Court One under the roof. It’s new memories. I stayed in and fought until the end. I can’t believe it,” said the Czech.

The result was bitterly disappointing for the 29-year-old American Pegula, who has still never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at a Major. AFP