Iga Świątek's Lifetime Success at Wimbledon! A Nervous Finish for the Polish Woman Against the Russian

Even before the Polish-Russian quarterfinals began, it was clear that Iga Świątek was the favorite. The No. 19 seed and the Wimbledon No. 8 faced off on the court. The Polish player is currently enjoying a very successful season on the grass.

Wimbledon: Iga Świątek's lifetime success. The Russian had no chance!

For Lyudmila Samsonova, simply reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam was something completely new. The Russian was competing for the first time at this stage of the competition in the most important global tournaments in professional tennis. The situation for Świątek was completely different. Besides her five Grand Slam titles, the Polish player reached the semifinals twice in the 2025 season alone – at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. It seemed, then, that this impressive collection could only grow with the addition of a unique, legendary "scalp" on the Wimbledon grass.

Paradoxically, however, the beginning of the match between Świątek and Samsonova was quite even. The two players were neck and neck until the sixth game. Then, with the Polish player leading 3-2, the Russian made several unnecessary errors, inviting problems on her own serve. At 40-15, Samsonova "let" Świątek into the game, who first equalized (40-40), then extended her first break of the match on her opponent's serve and closed the game with a break to take the lead 4-2.

A few moments later it was 5-2, and after just 39 minutes it was 6-2 – with the second break of Samsonowa’s serve on Świątek’s account.

It would seem that this turn of events would severely strain the Russian's mental state. Samsonova did indeed become nervous, and what's more, she started the second set 0-2 down with a break against her, but she tried to pressure Świątek. The Polish player was in serious trouble in the third game of the set, but she saved four break points, ultimately sealing what seemed to be the key moment of the set, leading 3-0.

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Tennis can be fickle, though. First, Samsonova's game was 1-3 from her perspective, and then the next set began with... 0:40 on Świątek's serve. The Pole tried to fight back, but the Russian finally got her chance thanks to an error from her opponent. It was 2-3 from the Russian player's perspective, and she was soon to serve.

Instead of 3-3, the Pole responded with a break back. After 40 minutes, it was 4-2, and Świątek capitalized on her third break opportunity. Aided by... Samsonova herself, she committed a double fault at the decisive moment.

It was clear that both players were nervous about the weight, the timing of the match, and the entire tournament. Świątek's next game saw errors, including double-teams on serve. The result? Świątek's 40-0 lead turned into... another break back. Finally, they tied the game at 4-4.

After an hour and 35 minutes of play, Świątek closed out game 9 with an ace (5-4). The battle of nerves, however, continued. However, Świątek proved she had more experience in high-stakes play. Samsonova made some weighty errors in the twelfth game of the third set. With her second match point (40-30), the Polish player sealed the match!

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Iga Świątek's opponent in the Wimbledon final will be Swiss Belinda Bencić. The women's semifinal will take place tomorrow, Thursday, July 10.

The Polish woman is now only two steps away from fulfilling her big Wimbledon dreams.

Iga Świątek and all her championship titles

In her career so far, the Polish player has won a total of 22 championship titles on courts almost all over the world.

Świątek has won five Grand Slam titles, four at Roland Garros (2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024), and the US Open once (2022). She also won the prestigious WTA Finals (2023).

In addition, wins in WTA 1000 tournaments, respectively in: Rome (2021, 2022, 2024), Doha (2022 and 2024), Indian Wells (2022 and 2024), Miami (2022), Beijing (2023) and Madrid (2024).

The list also includes WTA 500 events: Adelaide (2021), Stuttgart (2022 and 2023), San Diego (2022), and the aforementioned Doha (2023). Plus, a Polish twist, the WTA 250 in Warsaw (2023).

Following the 2024 Olympic tournament in Paris, a bronze medal should be added to this list. This is the first medal in the history of Polish Olympics to be won from a tennis court competition.

Read also: A surprising turnaround in the national team coaching case. Back to square one!