An avid reader, Iga Swiatek is aware of learn how to contextualize her Wimbledon reports.
Her third-round go out final 12 months after profitable the French Open was once a sadness. The top-ranked Swiatek cleared that hurdle Friday on the All England Club, dispatching Thirtieth-seeded Petra Martic 6-2, 7-5 to succeed in the fourth around.
“It’s just a totally different chapter,” stated the 22-year-old Pole.
The four-time Grand Slam champion can succeed in her first Wimbledon quarterfinal when she faces 14th-seeded Belinda Bencic on Sunday.
Swiatek has stated she felt a large number of drive final 12 months from top expectancies and the 35-match profitable streak she carried into Wimbledon.
“I do feel more relaxed. I think also because I won Roland Garros and I feel like after that the pressure is a little bit off because I reached my goal kind of for the season,” she said. “I don’t have to think about anything other than playing. … I feel like I have more kind of, I don’t know, free space in my head to develop my game and to work on my skills on grass.”
Unlike the men’s side, where seven-time winner Novak Djokovic is a heavy favorite, the women’s field is tougher to handicap.
The top three seeds — Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Elena Rybakina — are showing signs of becoming a “Big Three.”
Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion who was once a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2021, complex to the 1/3 around with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva.
Madison Keys, who beat Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 6-3 to succeed in the 1/3 around, stated the “Big Three” name is deserved.
“They are obviously at the top of the game right now, so I think it’s a great term to describe the three of them,” stated the American, who’s seeded twenty fifth.
After the highest 3 seeds, there is No. 4 Jessica Pegula, who complex to the fourth around with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Caroline Garcia of France turned into the highest-seeded lady to go out. The fifth-seeded participant misplaced 7-6 (0), 4-6, 7-5 to Thirty second-seeded Marie Bouzkova within the 1/3 around.
STAR STRUCK
Ons Jabeur, the No. 6 seed and runner-up to Rybakina a 12 months in the past, wanted best 45 mins to get previous Bai Zhuoxuan of China 6-1, 6-1 to succeed in the 1/3 around.
The Tunisian participant was once happy with the win, in fact, but additionally satisfied to speak about assembly David Beckham two days previous.
“Oh, amazing. Such an amazing person,” said Jabeur, a big soccer fan and a former player herself. “I was really looking forward to meet him. We talked about football, about his daughter, tennis in general. Him maybe watching a couple matches in the US so let’s see.”