Wimbledon 2023: Swiatek and Svitolina win epic matches to set up quarter-final clash
World No 1 Iga Swiatek survived two match points before coming through a marathon match with Belinda Bencic to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time.
Swiatek looked down and out when 15-40 down at 6-5 in the second set, but she produced her best tennis with two sumptuous winners to turn the tie around.
The four-time Grand Slam champion continued to be pushed all the way by Olympic gold medallist Bencic in a tense third set before she eventually prevailed 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 after a three-hour epic on Centre Court.
It sent Swiatek through to the last-eight at the All England Club for the first time and having won the junior title at SW19 previously, she will march on with renewed belief this could be her year on her least favoured surface.
Top seed Swiatek had reached the fourth-round without dropping a set but experienced trouble early on against Bencic, being forced to take a medical time-out after only three games due to a blister.
It did not seem to affect the three-time French Open winner and she remained largely in control until Bencic turned the tables in the tie-break.
Bencic saved two set points in the 10th game before clinching the first set after 66 minutes.
Iga Swiatek is the youngest player to reach the women’s singles quarter-finals in all four Grand Slam events since Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Swiatek left the court and returned determined to avoid another exit before the second week in England, with a sweet forehand return earning a break after a nine-minute opening game.
There remained a steel about Tokyo 2020 champion Bencic, who broke back to make it 3-3 and then had victory within her grasp when 15-40 up at 6-5.
Faced with losing at Wimbledon in the fourth round again, Swiatek came out swinging, producing equally brilliant forehand and backhand winners before repeating the trick to take the second tie-break.
If Swiatek thought she had worn down Bencic’s armour, she initially appeared to be wrong with the Swiss right-hander able to force another break point chance early in the third.
However after Swiatek dug deep to hold again, the resistance was finally broken with back-to-back double faults by the 14th seed.
More drama was to follow with Swiatek going 0-30 down when serving for the match, but she responded in style with two passing forehand winners sealing her spot in the last-eight.
Swiatek, who played two tie-breaks in the same match for the first time, said in her on-court interview: “Well, it wasn’t easy obviously.
“She had match point right? So, I don’t know if that has ever happened in my career, being back from match point down, but I am really happy.
“I feel I needed that win to believe in myself a little more on this surface.
“Every day my love (for the grass court) is getting bigger so hopefully I am going to have as many days as possible to play on this court.”
Elina Svitolina reacts during her match against Victoria Azarenka (not pictured) on day seven of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon. Picture date: Sunday July 9, 2023.
Swiatek will play Elina Svitolina next after the Ukrainian wildcard won the mother of all battles, recovering from a set down to claim a thrilling 2-6 6-4 7-6 (11-9) win over two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in their fourth-round clash.
Azarenka left Court No 1 to a chorus of boos after the crowd had been overwhelmingly behind Svitolina throughout and produced a deafening roar when she clinched a stunning 2-6 6-4 7-6 (11-9) victory.
