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We got the polar opposite of this match in the first semi-final. An upset of the pre-match favourite in a lengthy three-setter. Let Paul MacInnes guide you through the action.
Amanda Anisimova will play in the first grand slam final of her career at Wimbledon on Saturday after she held her nerve in a tense battle with top seed Aryna Sabalenka to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
“One of her most dominating big matches ever,” says Martina Navratilova of Swiatek’s demolition job. “She was in the sweet spot, she was relentless.” Spare a thought for Belinda Bencic who just could not get going today after some terrific performance at Wimbledon this year. Swiatek’s powerful returning just took her completely out of her rhythm.
Swiatek has won every grand slam final she’s been in. All five previously. But four of those were at the French Open on her favoured clay, with one on the hard court of the US Open. Grass is traditionally not her best surface and this is the first time she’s been past the quarter-finals at SW19. Anisimova has also never lost a grand slam final … because this is her first! What an intriguing matchup we have in store for Saturday.
Iga Swiatek reveals her pre-match playlist: AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones. She certainly rocked Centre Court today! (Sorry!)
“I never dreamt it would be possible to play in this final… I’m super proud of myself. Tennis keeps surprising me,” says Iga Swiatek. On her improvements on grass this years, she explains: “I’ve improved my movement, I’m serving really well, it’s really helping my confidence.”
So Amanda Anisimova v Iga Swiatek is our Wimbledon final. A first career meeting between the pair.
Iga Swiatek beats Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0
What a demolition by Iga Swiatek! Belinda Bencic saved one match point on her serve, but Swiatek was too good and one brisk return on a second serve seals the deal. The No 8 seed is into the final having dropped only two games.
Bencic 2-6 0-5 Swiatek* Bencic nails a backhand return, but it barely matters. Swiatek soon power-strokes a backhand winner of her own for 30-15, makes 40-15 … but Bencic is still fighting, hauling herself to deuce … only to slip when down advantage, the point already gone. Swiatek is a game away, and Alex Reid is here to bring you whatever remains; I’ve a date with Mary Poppins, my daughter’s leavers’ play. Thanks all for your company; peace out.
*Bencic 2-6 0-4 Swiatek Swiatek’s movement is so slick – she looks in a hurry, but seems to have so much time to play the ball. She duly makes 0-15, but at 15-all misses a big chance, offered a second serve that sits up only to swipe it wide … but makes no such mistake next time, an inside-out forehand levelling the game. And though Bencic gets to 40-30, Swiatek again strides in to hit a forehand winner, her opponent increasingly frazzled and frenetic. A forehand error soon cedes advantage, retrieved when Swiatek misses the sideline by an inch or so, but the reprieve is temporary, yet another forehand spanked inside-out just inside the sideline to secure the double-break when she again reaches advantage. Im afraid this is not a contest.
Bencic 2-6 0-3 Swiatek* Bencic will be disappointed she’s not doing herself justice, but at the same time, her best level still wouldn’t be good enough the way Swiatek is playing. She makes 40-15 with an unreturned serve, and is Bencic hobbling back to her mark? A service-winner seals the consolidation, and this is fearsome stuff from the Pole.
*Bencic 2-6 0-2 Swiatek This is big game for Bencic; realistically, she must hold to have a chance, but a forehand that drops long followed by a backhand winner leave her down 0-30 and, though she then makes 15, Swiatek then hooks a forehand winner to raise two break points, taking the second with a terrific backhand, backed up with another, stepping into mid-court. This is not far off did.
Bencic 2-6 0-1 Swiatek* I hate to say it, but Bencic has nothing for Swiatek, who opens set two with a gorgeous point; she moves beautifully, switching directions before finishing with a forehand winner. But a double follows, then another, and when a forehand goes long, Bencic has two break points that no one, not even she, could possibly have seen coming. So she goes at a return inside-out, missing the sideline by very little, an unreturned serve makes deuce, and though Swiatek burns her first game point by going long on the backhand, she then closes out, planting a forehand close to the sideline. That scare might just remind her than even if it seems so, elite-level sport is never easy, and demands total focus at all times.
Iga Swiatek takes the first set against Belinda Bencic 6-2
Yara El-Shaboury
*Bencic 2-6 Swiatek What do you get if you cross a tennis player with a sugar substitute? Why, Iga Sweetex of course. But there’s nothing saccharine about the way she’s playing here, rushing to 0-40 and three set points; this is fearsome stuff, and a return on to the sideline is too good, Bencic hitting the net post in response. That might be the best set (of tennis) I’ve seen in this tournament; Swiatek looks naaaasty.
Meantime, Yara El-Shaboury, on the ground for us in SW19, messages thusly: “Iga Swiatek started this match at a blistering pace and has not looked back while it has been a tough start for Belinda Bencic. While medics were attending to the heat incident in the crowd the Swiss was seemingly stretching the knee she hyperextended after taking a fall in the second game. Bencic also has more game time in her legs, having spent 2 hours and 26 minutes more time on court here at Wimbledon than Swiatek.”
Bencic 2-5 Swiatek* A delicious backhand, right down the line and into the corner, makes 15-0, Martina noting the extra stutter-step that gets Swiatek into perfect position to hit the shot with a solid base. At 30-0, though, Bencic sees her opponent scrabbling in the corner so marches in to despatch a swing-volley – she needs to keep doing that – before Swiatek closes out for 5-2. she’s a game away from the first set,
*Bencic 2-4 Swiatek Bencic looks better now, taking the ball early as is her wont. She holds to love, but can she put Swiatek under pressure on serve?
Bencic 1-4 Swiatek* Lovely from Swiatek, who makes 15-0 then, though she doesn’t do enough with a forehand, caresses an uncharacteristically deft volley into the corner for a winner. But from 40-0, it’s soo 40-30, Bencic making an excellent forehand winner, but there’s no sense there’s a break a-coming, and shonuff Swiatek secures her hold with another forehand winner. This is seriously impressive stuff.
*Bencic 1-3 Swiatek This is a big game for Bencic, who needs to get herself going even if the break is enough to settle the first set. But her first serve is sent back with interest, breaking the sideline for a winner; she restores parity with an overhead, and a forehand down the line makes 30-15. Swiatek then nets a forehand, and from there, Bencic closes ot a vital hold. She’s on the board.
And off we go again…
The players are both on their feet, keeping warm sweltering loose; the medics have arrived, and hopefully everything’s OK.
There’s another situation in the crowd, so we’ve another delay. Once we’re under way again, Bencic badly needs to get herself on the board; currently, she looks nervous, and the way Swiatek has started won’t be helping her settle.
Bencic 0-3 Swiatek* Bencic hits her first winner for 0-15, but there’s a fearsomeness about Swiatek – now, but so far today especially – and she makes 40-15 then seals the game with an ace down the middle. The way she’s playing reminds a bit of Andre Agassi, in that both thought grass wasn’t for the only to discover that, in fact, it was.
*Bencic 0-2 Swiatek Bencic isn’t a great server, while Swiatek is a fantastic returner, and seems to have aeons to guide a return winner down the line when offered a second delivery. Bencic, though, makes 15-all, only to slip; she seems fine, and we wind up at 30-all, but then she goes long when really she ought to hit a winner, so must now face a break point, Swiatek taking control of it with a backhand to the corner before cleaning up on the forehand. She leads 2-0, and if bencic doesn’t rouse herself, she’ll soon be a set down.
Bencic 0-1 Swiatek* Right away, Bencic hits good lengths, but Switaek dismisses a fine backhand to the corner for 15-0, then a forehand winner doubles the advantage. A service-winner follows, and though Bencic finds a winner of her own, inside-out on the forehand, Swiatek sticks one of her own into the corner for an impressive hold.
Righto, our players are ready. Swiatek to serve, ready … play.
The players satand at the net and Swiatek gets right up close, rehearsing shots with extreme intensity, Muguruza-style. She’s up for this, but is she too up for it?
And here they come! The stands are pretty sparse, people taking on board fluids after the previous match, but I’m sure they’ll fill up.
Our players make their way towards Centre Court. Both will be feeling it; how could they not?
So how does Bencic win? She’ll need to serve well, shorten points, and hit towards the corners. Ball down the middle, and Swiatek has the chance to dictate with her spins – in particular, her overspin allows her to hit it hard while keeping it in play. But if she’s constantly guessing and feart of rallies being taken away from her, she won’t be able to settle into a rhythm.
Swiatek and Bencic will soon be with us and I’m really looking forward to this one. I can’t wait to see how Swiatek does under the pressure she’s likely to face today – Bencic will plant herself on the baseline and attack – but she knows that if she plays well, she almost definitely wins.
Sabalenka did not hang around at the end; she’ll be hurting badly. Yet again, she’s lost to a player she’d have expected to beat, yet again unable to deliver her best form at the biggest moments. When she broke to love in the opening game of the decider, it felt like she’d taken over, but Anisimova refused to allow it and, able to match Sabalenka for power, she found what she needed when she needed it.
Next on Centre Court: Belinda Bencic v Iga Swiatek (8).
Anisimova, out of seven billionn the happiest person in the world at this moment, says the moment doesn’t feel real. She praises Sabalenka as an amazing player, thanking the crowd for cheering for her, shouting out her family in her box before noticing she can’t see her best friend, who is soon located.
Asked about her mental health break, she says she didn’t think she’d be in this position within a year of coming back. She’ll be around for a bit so will watch a bit of the second semi but will also make some time for the people close to her.
Oh man, that was great, the culmination of a process that’s the beginning of a process that’s the continuation of a process. A lesson from it: acknowledging you need help, then asking for help, is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness.
Amanda Anisimova (13) beats Aryna Sabalenka (1) 6-4 4-6 6-4
*Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 4-6 Anisimova Already, this is the match of championships, a glorious meld of brilliance, tension and import … and look at Anisimova, a wondrously disguised drop making 0-30, then Sabalenka goes long and Anisimova, who made a total mess of serving for the match a few minutes ago, now has three match points! A return sent long ruins the first, a huuuuge second serve is in just and the point eventually ends via swing-volley – that’s amazing behaviour from Sabalenka, every shot in that rally attacked like nothing’s at stake. But then, out no nowhere, Anisimova spirits a forehand almost from behind her, into a tiny space between opponent and sideline, AND AMANDA ANISIMOVA IS INTO THE WIMBLEDON FINAL! WHAT A MOMENT, WHAT A MATCH, WHAT A PERFORMANCE!
Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 4-5 Anisimova* A service-winner redeems a forehand error; 15-all. But another forehand error after Sabalenka hits a great depth increases the pressure; a return loops long for 30-all. We then go backhand to backhand down the middle of the court … until Anisimova goes long, and now faces break-back point, the opportunity of a lifetime slipping away. But an error on return brings us to deuce, another return goes into the net, and Amanda Anisimova has match point! I’ve no idea how one holds it together in this situation ad, if we’re honest Anisimova doesn’t, a backhand that is both careful and careless falling wide. So Sabalenka ups the power, booming forehands followed by an overhead making advantage, and when Anisimova goes long on the forehand, the weight of the years heavy on her head, we’re back on serve in the decider! How’s that goldfish memory now?! We shall find out!
*Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 3-5 Anisimova Serving to stay in the championships, Sabalenka makes 15-0, then nails a high-kicking service-winner out wide. Anisimova then misses a backhand down the line, and the game is secured when another goes long. She will have to serve for the match and for the final, the entirety of her life having led to this moment. How is she feeling? I can barely feel my fingers!
Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 2-5 Anisimova* A double opens the game and tension ratchets up yet another level; we wind up at 15-30. But Sabalenka then nets a forehand, howling in anguish at the oversight, and when Anisimova plays a gorgeous approach and drop, she’s on hand to pat away an overhead, before a helpful net cord takes her to within a game of the final! Naturally, she raises an arm, but in celebration and supplication not apology; this means way too much to bother with pretence.
*Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 2-4 Anisimova In any tournament, you want exciting matches early doors, but when enshrines one as a classic is laster-stagers epics. and Anisimova is ready to become the hero of this iteration, hitting beautifully to make 0-30 – her timing is sensational, almost every ball coming off the middle of the strings. Sabalenka, though, quickly makes 30-all, then she somehow sticks in a rally Anisimova should finish, before stomping in to somehow flicks a backhand winner down the line. But no! The ball was, we’re advised, two millimetres wide, and at 30-40the underdog has a point for a double-break; an effective match point. Sabalenka, though, saves it when her opponent nets, she closes out from there, and, in the process, removes the anvil dangling above her head, relocating it above the head of Anisimova.
Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 1-4 Anisimova* Sabalenka makes 0-15, then Anisimova goes wide with a backhand, and the tension is something, clouding the court in miasma. And though a forehand into the net halves the deficit, another sensational point from the world no 1, a forehand return to the corner backed up by a drop and backhand, raises two break-back points. The first is burnt via netted forehand … and the second via netted backhand; that’s 10 of 12 Anisimova has now saved. Gosh, and our players then become embroiled in a battle at the net then, just as it loos like Sabalenka has won it, a backhand on to the outermost fibre of the line means that in fact she’s down advantage. This match is quickly graduating from thriller to epic, all the more so when Sabalenka saves game point, only to be wrong-footed by a forehand winner that follows a rally-changing backhand. And from there, Anisimova endorses the break, a flat forehand winner, unleashed cross-court, taking her to within two games of the final. This is fantastic behaviour – from both players.
*Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 1-3 Anisimova Eesh, with Anisimova on the run, Sabalenka goes long with plenty of empty court at which to aim; 15-30. And when she has to let go a second serve, you fear for her, but she kicks it so high the return sails long, then hits the line with a serve and invents an absurd angle to annihilate a forehand winner cross-court from sideline to sideline. She can’t, though, close out, beaten by the sweetness of Anisimova’s ball-striking, and when a forehand goes into the net, the American has a point for a second consecutive break. Sabalenka, though, finds the colossal big first serve she needs … but when she’s offered a forehand putaway form close to the net, she unloads the suitcase when doesn’t need to, the ball flies long, and Anisimova leads by a break! P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E!
Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 1-2 Anisimova* I say goldfish memory, but recognising the axiom that “that was then, this is now,” is also crucial to therapeutic thinking and, during her time away from the game, Anisimova exposed herself to plenty of it. I can’t say for sure that it gave her perspective, but my best guess is that it did, all the more so when she responds to a Sabalenka winner for 30-all with one of her own that raises game point. And, though she then delivers a second serve that sits up and begs to be assaulted, the return goes into the tape, and I’ve not a clue who’s going to win this.
*Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 1-1 Anisimova Sabalenka looks the more confident player now, but she finds herself at 30-all and a really good return puts her under pressure. She responds well, though, winning the point, and is now keeping Anisimova on her bike, which means she can’t plant feet and release power. But another brutal return takes us to deuce, and when Sabalenka directs a backhand into the net, she faces break-back point … which she must negotiate with a second serve. Shonuff, it sits up to be hit, but Anisimova can’t manufacture a winner and a forehand of unimpeachable depth helps restore deuce, only for a backhand into the net to cede another opportunity to break back.and this time, Sabalenka rams a forehand cross wide, and we’re back on serve in the decider! That’s brilliant work from the American, who probably felt a way about losing her serve so comprehensively but, like the best sportsfolk, deployed her goldfish memory to forget the past and move on.
Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 1-0 Anisimova* Here comes what should be a decider of horrific intensity; both players will be so desperate to win it. An error from Anisimova hands over 0-15, then a terrific point from Sabalenka, finished with a backhand into the corner takes her to within two points of a break. And when Anisimova nets a forehand, it feels like momentum is inexorable, and shonuff, when sent to the corner once more, the American can’t respond, broken to love. She’s in big trouble.
Aryna Sabalenka wins the second set 6-4 to level her match with Amanda Anisimova at one set all
*Sabalenka 4-6 6-4 Anisimova Sabalenka makes 15-0, but a double evidences nerves; Chrissy Evert she ain’t though, in fairness, Chrissy Evert all of us ain’t. We wind up at 30-all and the tension is palpable, all the more so when the first-serve spot is missed, but a forehand return into the net means set point, and a service winner ensures we and this match have the decider we and it deserve. Bring it on!
Sabalenka 4-6 5-4 Anisimova* At 30-15, Sabalenka finds a glorious forehand, cut cross to break the sideline; she’s two points away from forcing a deciding set. And when she hits the line with a return, Anisimova nets, then, facing set point, she serves long. And though Sabalenka doesn’t get after her second delivery in the expected manner, allowing her opponent a forehand winner down the line, and excellent backhand raises another opportunity … but this time, facing a second serve, she nets her forehand return – to her immense consternation. Then, totally out of the next rally, set nashing to the corners, she forces Anisimova to play an extra ball, lashing a shoulder-high backhand cross, when the backhand smash doesn’t do enough; that’s the shot of the match so far to finish the rally of the match so far, and she salutes the crowd but can she convert the opportunity? She cannot, directing a backhand long, and though Anisimova burns an advantage of her own, she then closes out with the help of yet another disconcertingly violent backhand. Sabalenka must now serve for the second set.
“As a Brit who has lived in the S. for 30 years,” says Gregory Phillips, “I can confirm ‘often’ is a word here, but many Americans, especially older Americans, tend toward the folksier ‘oftentimes’, especially in speech.”
So are we saying it’s a deliberate thing aimed at creating a particular feeling?
*Sabalenka 4-6 5-3 Anisimova But Sabalenka is soon down 0-30; a service winner and another biggun, backed by a brace of forehands, restore parity, and from there, the consolidation is secured. For the first time, Sabalenka is in the ascendancy, Anisimova about to serve to stay in the second set.
Sabalenka 4-6 4-3 Anisimova* A beautiful wrong-footing forehand gives Anisimova 30-0, and I think this is the best I’ve ever seen her play, in the biggest match of her life – she made the last four of French Open in 2019, aged 17, but this is different as she now knows what it’s all about. All the more so when two errors hand over 30-all, the scream she emits in the process of making the second indicating the mounting tension; I’d love to hear her internal monologue now, and as I type, she drills a forehand into the net so must now defend break point … and she sends down a double! Sabalenka breaks without having to hit a winner, and we saw it coming: Anisimova is a very good player, but we can’t expect her to play at her to level for an entire match, especially with Sabalenka on the other side of the net.
*Sabalenka 4-6 3-3 Anisimova A backhand guided down the line makes Anisimova 15-all; Sabalenka doesn’t like it because her opponent makes a noise before the ball is past her. So when the American goes long next point, Sabalenka hollers like she’s anguished … only to net a ball herself that means 30-all. And from there, she closes out, greeting the ace that seals the deal with another loud geschrei. Geschrei, what a word that is.
Sabalenka 4-6 2-3 Anisimova* But Anisimova handles it well, sich that when Sabalenka hooks a backhand return wide for 40-0, she hiwls in anguish, then again when she returns into the net to complete a 75-second hold. So far, every question is being answered emphatically.
*Sabalenka 4-6 2-2 Anisimova A backhand down the line and into the corner makes 15-0, but a similar shot missed means 15-all. No matter: Sabalenka wins the next three points, the last of them with an ace, and this upcoming game feels like an important one.
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