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Wimbledon Ladies Day 7
Iga Swiatek saved two match points against Belinda Bencic and then cleaned up her game to earn a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-3 win into the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Sunday.
The match was the first in the entire Swiatek career which has gone to more than one tiebreaker; victory puts the four-time Grand Slam champion into the SW19 quarter-finals for the first time.
Swiss Olympic champion Bencic earned her match points in the 12th game of the second set but was out-hit in the crucial moments by the struggling top seed.
“You have nothing to lose, you can play fearlessly,” Swiatek said. “I just wanted to play, I didn’t care…”
Swiatek then lifted her level in the concluding set.
She revved up her game in the deciding set, breaking for 3-1 and taking control to run out the winner with a forehand winner.after nearly three hours.
Bencic ran out of linecall challenges and was unable to query an “out” call on her ball which was shown to have been good.
Swiatek won her third match from four played against Bencic.
“It was not easy obviously,” the winner said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever come back from match points down.
“But I’m happy because I needed this match to believe in myself more on grass.
“I was playing without regrets, I had chances in the first set also. I just wanted to be solid and in the end I got the win.”
Swiatek will bid to go further when she next plays
Elina Svitolina continued her charge through the field as the Ukrainian beat two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka in a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) fightback which ended with an ace after two and three-quarter hours.
Jessica Pegula advanced to the last eight for the first time at the All England Club, plugging a hole in her resume after achieving quarter-finals at the other three majors.
The third seed defeated Lesia Tsurenko 6-1, 6-3, with the 34-year-old Ukrainian saving two match points before Pegula advanced on a correct linecall challenge on a third winning chance.
The victory in 75 minutes marked the eighth quarter-final this season for Pegula, whose billionaire father owns the NFL Buffalo Bills.
Pegula has lost just 13 games in three matches so far during the fortnight.
She is the fifth American woman to reach the quarters at all four Slams in the last quarter-century after the Williams sisters, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens.
“To say that I’ve done that at all four (majors) is something I’ve wanted
to say,” Pegula said. ” Obviously I hope I can do more than that.
“But it’s pretty cool to say that I’ve done that (quarters) at
every Slam.
“I feel (at) Wimbledon (it) is really special to make the final eight as
well. It was definitely a goal. And I’m really happy I get to mark that off.
Pegula next plays 2019 Roland Garros finalist Markete Vondrousava, winner of an all-Czech showdown over Marie Bouzkova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Qualifier MIrra Andreeva continued her fairytale run as she played and won her sixth career match on grass, knocking out Anastasia Potapova 62, 7-5 in 95 minutes in the third round .
The 16-year-old who lives and trains in Cannes in the south of France, held her never and kept her emotions bottled up in victory.
But as a neophyte who had not set foot on a grass court until qualifying rounds less than a fortnight ago, her success is somewhat unexpected.
“It was a tough match, but I’m happy that I managed to win it,” the teenager said. “Now I’m in the round of 16.
“Today somebody was screaming my name, really supporting me. I just tried to use that for myself.
“I feel everyone is encouraging for me, everyone is cheering for me, it really helps me a lot.”
Andreeva will play for a spot in the quarter-finals when she next faces 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys.
She said that so far her lack of grass court experience has not been a bother.
“When I played my first match in quallies, I just didn’t have any expectations because it was my first match on grass.
“I just tried to give it all on the court.
“Since that first match, I actually found the right rhythm. Now it’s working pretty good.”
Alexander Zverev on Thursday made a long-sought after return to the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, booking his first final four at the event since 2019, defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4.
The 2027 year-end No. 1 last got this far as the Covid pandemic began to surface in China in 2019. The event was not played 2020-2022, with the German making modest progress here over the past three editions since resumption.
After winning his 62nd match of the season, the 29-year-old was pleased with his performance.
“I think it was a huge step up. From just being on the court I felt both of us were playing really well.
“I was, a lot of the time, outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here.
“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the past couple of matches.”
Zverev advanced in 78 minutes, sending over 10 aces as he defeated the Australian for the ninth time in their 13 matches.
Added the reigning Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows Grand Slam champion: “I’ve been handling pressure quite okay this year. In a way you play a bit more relaxed.
“Once Jannik (SInner) unfortunately announced he won’t play for the rest of the year, I’m 4,000 points ahead of everyone else, so I trust myself enough that I’m going to win [enough matches].
Zverev will play for the final to wrap up the Asian swing as he takes on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced when Arthur Gea quit their quarter-final with injury.
American outsider Ann Li produced the upset of her life on Wednesday, taking 10 match points to defeat world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a quarter-final shock at the WTA Wuhan 1000.
The No. 31’s success kept top seed Sabalenka from a place in the final four at the event for the first time in her career.
The two-and-a-half-hour victory was the third for Li this season over a top 10 opponent. The loss was a huge blow to Sabalenka, who won the tournament on three occasions 2018, 2019 and 2024.
The run counts as a hat-trick, with the tournament played in the epicentre city for the Covid outbreak not staged from 2020 through 2023.
Li rallied from a set down to complete her biggest day in tennis.
“On some of those match points I was about to lose my mind. I was about to crash out,” the winner said.
“I didn’t even play that bad, she just played really well.
“You have to play point by point. And I knew that if I stayed there, I could get into that situation again, which is all you can ask for.”
Li was operating from a deficit after Sabalenka swept the opening set with an eight-point surge and put the American into a second-set hole down a break of serve, 2-4.
But Li gathered her resources and claimed nine of 11 games, levelling at a set each and leading 5-2 lead in the third.
Sabalenka called for the physio for her right leg, then saved five match points before continuing the heroics for four additional recoveries from defeat.
Li finally got the job done on her 10th chance in the final-set tiebreaker, finishing it off with a forehand winner.
Alexander Zverev marked his new status as sure-thing year-end No. 1 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday by posting a fighting 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (1) victory over Alexander Bublik..
The 29-year-old German whose two Grand Slam titles this season and the absence of injured Jannik Sinner helped him into the top spot for the first time, needed to save four early set points and deal with an ank;e issue on his journey into the last eight.
Zverev moved through in just under two and three-quarter hours to set up a match with last week’s Beijing finalist Alex de Minaur, The Australian booked his spot over Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4.
Zverev will be playing in his 40th quarter-final in a Masters 1000 and is on the hunt for an eighth trophy this season.
He said his ankle was giving problems – but not enough to affect the match outcome.”It was kind of understandable because I have been playing a lot of tennis, which is kind of a good sign because I have been playing well.
“I’m starting to feel my body more and more but happy to get through. It was a difficult match because he has been playing amazing tennis,” he said after coming from a break down in the deciding set.
De Minaur has bounced back nicely in Shanghai after quitting the Tokyo final against Carlos Alcaraz with an adductor muscle injury.
Zverev scratches 7-year itch with return to Shanghai SF
Tenth time lucky as Li knocks out Sabalenka
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