Iga Swiatek holds off Samsonova to reach Wimbledon semi-finals for first time
From the moment she first set foot on the grass this year, there has been something different about Iga Swiatek.Where once trepidation would have been her overriding emotion on what has traditionally been her weakest surface, she has looked calm from day one and on Wednesday she held her nerve to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time, holding off a bold fightback from Liudmila Samsonova to claim a 6-2, 7-5 victory.Leading by a set and 4-2, 40-0, Swiatek was cruising to victory, crunching groundstrokes, moving brilliantly and improvising impressively.However, Samsonova suddenly started going for broke and at 5-5, she had 0-30 on the Pole’s serve.But unlike on several occasions this year, Swiatek did not panic, dug deep and claimed her place in the last four, where she will play Belinda Bencic.
“Honestly it feels great,” said the No 8 seed, Swiatek,“Even though I am in the middle of the tournament I already got goosebumps after this win,I’m super-proud of myself and I’ll keep going,I am really enjoying playing this year and hopefully it’s going to last as long as possible,I really worked hard here to progress on this surface.
”By anyone else’s standards, reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where she had match point against the eventual champion, Madison Keys, and making the last four at the French Open would be regarded as an excellent season,But the former world No 1 has set such high standards that the only way was down,The five-time grand slam champion lost her way on her beloved clay in the spring, losing early to players she would usually brush away with ease, unravelling on court when things started to turn,But reaching the semis in Paris restored a lot of her confidence and she arrived at Wimbledon in a relaxed, confident mood, having reached her first grass-court final at Bad Homburg in Germany,Perhaps benefitting from the drier than usual conditions here, she has dropped just one set on her way to the semis.
“I had time to practise a little bit more,” she said.“Match by match my confidence went up so that I can use it in this championship.I saw how I can play on practice courts.I was just not sure if I can do it on the match court.I kind of already did.
I’m going to try to continue that.”In her first grand slam quarter-final, the 19th seed, Samsonova, had a break point in the first game, but it was snuffed out with an ace.Swiatek held and then set about dominating the rest of the set, breaking for 4-2 and then again for 6-2, her serve effective and her groundstrokes punishing.The match looked over when Swiatek led 4-2, 40-0 but Samsonova cut loose, slapping ground strokes for winners, forcing the issue from the baseline.After breaking back, she levelled at 4-4 and then, at 5-5, she had 0-30 on the Pole’s serve.
But Swiatek found her forehand again when she needed it, whipping another return winner to seal victory.Sign up to The RecapThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s actionafter newsletter promotionSwiatek has won three of her four meetings with Bencic but said she was full of admiration for the Swiss, who is into the semi-finals here for the first time also, less than 15 months after giving birth to her first child.“I can only imagine how hard it is to come back after pregnancy,” Swiatek said.“Obviously, she needed some time to play some matches and schedule it carefully after such a break.For sure she has the game to play well here on grass.
I never doubted that she can’t come back after pregnancy.She seems like she’s in a good mood and she’s playing well.”
Sinner eases past Shelton in straight sets to seal Wimbledon semi-final spot
A few minutes into the long-awaited quarter-final between Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton, the camera operators on No 1 Court had already completed their first searching look at the elaborate bandaging and long, white sleeve seemingly holding together the Italian’s fragile elbow.In this match between the world No 1 and another of the most exciting young players in the sport, the narrative had already been set. After Sinner’s physical struggles in the previous round, all eyes rested on his elbow. He responded to those concerns with a soaring, emphatic performance, neutralising the nuclear Shelton serve as he returned to the Wimbledon semi-finals with an efficient 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4 win.Regardless of his physical concerns or the significant mental challenge of bouncing back from his defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final, Sinner’s consistency is eternal
Sportswomen facing ‘horrific burden of routine misogynistic attacks and threats’, campaigners say
For Sonay Kartal, there was disappointment but a sense of pride as she walked off Centre Court to a standing ovation when her fairytale Wimbledon run came to an end.Footage of the bittersweet moment, posted on SW19’s official Facebook page, prompted praise for the 23-year-old British No 3 – and a slew of cruel comments about her appearance.Campaigners said it was sportswomen “who uniquely face the horrific burden of routine misogynistic attacks and threats” after tennis players including Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage have spoken out against trolls in recent weeks.On Wednesday, about 1,000 comments on two of Wimbledon’s Facebook posts about Kartal, who reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time, had been deleted. But hateful comments had remained online for at least 24 hours
‘He’s very determined’: England look to Archer before pivotal third Test
Nearly six years after Jofra Archer made his Test debut against Australia at Lord’s he will finally return after England confirmed that he will replace Josh Tongue as the only change to the team so comprehensively beaten by India at Edgbaston last week.Archer is a man of few words and, as he has battled through a string of injuries across those intervening years, also not a lot of action. So the conversation that confirmed his return to Test cricket was entirely typical, said England’s captain, Ben Stokes: “I went: ‘Are you ready this week?’ And he went: ‘Been ready.’ That was literally it.”“Jof is very unassuming
Tour de France 2025: Evenepoel wins stage five time trial as Pogacar takes yellow jersey –as it happened
Stage five report: Tadej Pogacar took the race lead after finishing second to Remco Evenepoel in the stage five time trial and opened clear daylight on his key rival, Jonas Vingegaard. Jeremy Whittle reports from Caen …1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 17hr 22min 58sec (B16sec) 2. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +42sec 3. Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) +59sec 4
Tour de France 2025: Evenepoel wins time trial as Pogacar powers into yellow
Tadej Pogacar struck the first blow in his rivalry with Jonas Vingegaard by taking the overall Tour de France lead after finishing second to Remco Evenepoel in the stage five time trial in Caen.Pogacar’s performance exceeded expectations and will have hit hard on Vingegaard’s Visma‑Lease a Bike team bus, with the double Tour winner now more than a minute behind his Slovenian rival after only five days of racing.“I was surprised,” Pogacar said of the gap he opened up on the Dane. “I’m not going to lie. I was not expecting to be so far ahead of him in this time trial
Battling Norrie and Kartal light way for British tennis after Draper’s damp squib | Tumaini Carayol
Overall this was a positive tournament for home players, with Raducanu’s progress clear, but others disappointedIn the end, Cameron Norrie’s run to the latter rounds of Wimbledon was shut down with ruthless efficiency. Up against the two-time defending champion in full bloom, serving as well as he ever has, there was not much that Norrie could do against Carlos Alcaraz.Every defeat is paired with disappointment, but the quality of Norrie’s performances throughout the past few weeks meant he was able immediately to reflect happily on another positive step forward. His quarter-final finish is the second-best grand slam result of his career after his run to the semi-finals here in 2022.After every match over the past few months, Norrie has stressed repeatedly the importance of enjoying every moment on court
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