On a warm afternoon at London’s All England Lawn Tennis Croquet Club (onlookers’ fans could be seen swishing away over Centre Court), world number four Iga Swiatek, of Poland, met Amanda Anisimova of the United States for the Ladies’ Singles Final at Wimbledon—a first appearance for both of them.
After a thrilling fortnight for Anisimova, who on Thursday delivered a shocking upset over world number one Aryna Sabalenka to reach this final, hopes were high for the 23-year-old New Jersey native, a powerful hitter. Yet the occasion seemed to get the better of her on Saturday, as a businesslike Swiatek, 24—who has not appeared in a major final since winning her fourth French Open a year ago—sailed through the match in straight sets, trouncing Anisimova 6-0, 6-0.
Swiatek may be known as a clay specialist, but she was playing some of the best grass-court tennis of her life on Saturday, not only moving with her trademark agility but hitting exceptionally well—and all while keeping a very cool head. Twenty minutes into the match, she was already up 5-0; the championship was hers not terribly long after that. At match point—with Catherine, Princess of Wales; Billie Jean King; nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova; Martina Hingis; Simona Halep; Matthew McConaughey; and Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach among those cheering her on—Swiatek clasped her head in delight before dropping into the grass.
Though Anisimova was still in tears during her post-match remarks, she was gracious in praising Swiatek as an incredible athlete, thanking members of her own family for their stalwart support (including her mother, who had flown in just that morning), and acknowledging the warm and empathetic crowd throughout the tournament.
For her own part, Swiatek, the first Polish player to win a singles final at Wimbledon, described the experience as “surreal,” adding that even after her important (and successful) appearances at other majors, she “never really expected this one.” Suffice it to say that we’d all do well not to count Swiatek out—on any surface—for quite some time going forward.
