Iga Swiatek thrashes Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win Wimbledon women’s singles title

LONDON – Iga Swiatek thrashed American Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to become the first Polish player to win a Wimbledon singles title on July 12, ending a ludicrously lopsided final in 57 minutes.

The eighth seed was merciless as she took brutal advantage of Grand Slam final debutante Anisimova’s nerves in front of a stunned Centre Court.

It turned into a nightmare afternoon for 13th seed Anisimova, who became the first player to lose a Wimbledon final in a double bagel (6-0, 6-0) since 1911 and the first to do so at any Grand Slam since Steffi Graf beat Natasha Zvereva at the 1988 French Open.

Swiatek, who had never gone beyond the Wimbledon quarter-finals before this edition despite winning four French Open crowns, could never have imagined that claiming her sixth Grand Slam title could have been as easy.

She dropped only two games in her semi-final against Belinda Bencic and was even more ruthless in the final, clinching victory with a backhand winner. 

“It seems super surreal,” Swiatek said.

“First I want to congratulate Amanda for an amazing two weeks. You should be proud of the work you are doing and I hope we will play more finals here.

“I didn’t even dream, for me it was way too far. I feel like I am already an experienced player after winning the Slams before, but I never expected this one.

“This year I really, really enjoyed it and feel I improved my form here.

“It’s amazing and I’m going to enjoy this moment and hopefully you’re going to enjoy the men’s final too.”

Swiatek, 24, is also now the youngest woman to win Grand Slam singles titles on all three surfaces since Serena Williams in 2002 when the American great was 20 years old.

She is Wimbledon’s eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion since Williams won her seventh and final title at the All England Club in 2016.

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.

Anisimova was expected to prove a stern test after ousting world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.

But she 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.

“Congratulations Iga. Thank you to everyone who’s supported me,” Anisimova said at the prize ceremony.

“It’s been an incredible fortnight for me and even though I ran out of gas today and I wish I could have put in a better performance for you today, you guys still lifted me up, so thank you so much.”

She also thanked her mother, adding with tears: “She’s put in more work than I have, honestly.”

Pundits also had their say on the match.

Three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe said on the BBC: “Everyone is in a state of shock. Nobody saw Swiatek being this good on this surface.

“She played against someone who absolutely froze and I feel terrible for Anisimova. Well deserved for Iga.”

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, meanwhile, had sympathy for Anisimova.

He said: “It’s an incredible story for her to be in the final in the first place.

“It’s a fantastic effort and she has to look back at that. Iga played really well and the balls weren’t dropping for Amanda.

“It was a masterclass in what to do in a final. It was a great tournament for her.”
AFP, REUTERS