Iga Swiatek reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time after a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova on Wednesday. What started as a comfortable match became more challenging in the later stages.
“Even though the tournament is still underway, I already got goosebumps after this win,” Swiatek said. She will face unseeded Belinda Bencic on Thursday for a chance to reach the final. Bencic secured her spot by defeating No. 7 seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), marking her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance since the 2019 U.S. Open. The other women’s semifinal matchup is No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against No. 13 Amanda Anisimova, both of whom advanced on Tuesday.
“It’s not over yet,” Bencic said confidently.
On the men’s side, No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner advanced to the semifinals after beating No. 10 Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4. Despite a recent right elbow injury sustained during a fall in a previous match, Sinner showed little sign of discomfort. His semifinal opponent will be either Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, or No. 22 seed Flavio Cobolli. The other men’s semifinal will see two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz face No. 5 Taylor Fritz.
Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, has won four French Open titles and one U.S. Open title. She has also reached the semifinals twice at the Australian Open. However, grass courts at Wimbledon have historically been a challenge for her despite winning the junior championship there in 2018. Before this year, her best Wimbledon run was a quarterfinal exit in 2023.
The 24-year-old Polish player is currently experiencing her strongest performance on grass, partly due to improved comfort with the court’s slick surface.
“I definitely feel I’ve worked hard to improve on this surface,” Swiatek shared. “This year, I feel I can manage the conditions and keep improving.”
Prior to Wimbledon, Swiatek reached her first grass-court final at Bad Homburg, Germany — her first final in over a year. This stretch of mixed results led to her losing the No. 1 ranking and entering Wimbledon as the No. 8 seed.
Last season, Swiatek faced a one-month suspension after a doping investigation found a failed drug test was caused by accidental contamination from non-prescription medication taken for jet lag and sleep issues. Additionally, her 26-match French Open winning streak ended with a semifinal loss to Sabalenka last month.
In the match against Samsonova, Swiatek took the first set 6-2 and went up 3-0 in the second. Samsonova fought back to tie the set at 4-4 and again at 5-5, but Swiatek held serve for a 6-5 lead and then broke to win the match. A smile of relief and joy appeared on her face.
“I knew how I could play on the practice courts, but I wasn’t sure if I could do it in a real match,” Swiatek said. “Now I know I can, and I’m excited to keep going.”
Belinda Bencic, 28, who is ten years older than Andreeva, is making her second major appearance since returning to the tour after giving birth to her daughter Bella in April 2024.
“I’m very proud,” Bencic said. “Throughout my career, I didn’t often say that to myself, but after having Bella, I remind myself every day. We’re enjoying life on tour together, traveling with Bella. It’s wonderful to create these memories. Playing well is amazing, but for me, it’s a bonus. I’m just happy to be back competing.”
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