At Wimbledon, Poland's Iga Swiatek qualifies for the last four without a hitch

Seeded number 8 at Wimbledon, Iga Swiatek continues her unwavering run in the women's draw. On Wednesday, July 9, the former world number one easily got rid of Liudmila Samsonova, world ^number 19, who had not dropped a single set since the start of the tournament. Iga Swiatek won in two sets (6-2, 7-5) and one hour and fifty minutes of play. In five head-to-head matches, the tall Russian (1.82 m) has never beaten her opponent of the day.

Faced with the Polish star's counterattack, Liudmila Samsonova quickly found herself without a solution. While she rebelled in the second set, which lasted over an hour, Iga Swiatek, in complete control, dominated the rallies, sweeping her around the court. Uncompromising in her break point serve, the Pole was equally uncompromising on the return, breaking her opponent's serve six times. She concluded the match with an unstoppable return of serve. The Russian committed far too many errors in this game to hope for better.

By qualifying for the semifinals, Iga Swiatek has already achieved her best performance at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, having never reached the quarterfinals there. While she thrives more on clay – four titles at Roland Garros – the player is not allergic to grass, having won the Wimbledon junior tournament in 2018.

While her long, arching forehand is less effective on grass, her counter-attack is a real pain on this surface. She's excellent at returning serve, takes the ball early, and makes good use of the court's geometry. These are all assets that make her a contender for the final victory in a women's draw where many favorites have fallen by the wayside. Iga Swiatek will face the winner of the match between the young Russian Mirra Andreeva (18 years old) and the Swiss Belinda Bencic in the next round.

In the other half of the draw, world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus struggled on Tuesday to overcome unseeded German Laura Siegemund, 37, ranked ^22nd in the world. She will face American Amanda Anisimova, ranked ^12th in the WTA (Women's Professional Tennis Association) rankings, on Thursday for a spot in the final. In their head-to-head matches, the Belarusian leads by five wins to three.