Iga Swiatek finally conquered her Wimbledon struggles in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, overpowering Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5 to reach the semifinals at the All England Club for the first time.
The world No. 8, who has long struggled on grass, declared the balls were “really listening” to her this year as she unleashed a barrage of winners to dismantle her Russian opponent.
Swiatek’s breakthrough moment came on Court One under sweltering conditions, where she saved an early break point with a 105mph ace and never looked back. The Polish star reeled off seven consecutive games from 2-2 in the first set, overwhelming Samsonova with her trademark ferocious forehands and flawless first-serve performance (100% points won in the opening set).
“I have goosebumps after this win,” an emotional Swiatek told the crowd after booking a semifinal clash with unseeded Belinda Bencic. “I worked really hard to progress here on this surface. I really enjoy playing on grass this year and hopefully it will last as long as possible.”
The match appeared headed for a rout when Swiatek led 6-1, 3-0, but Samsonova staged a gutsy comeback. The 19th seed, inspired to play tennis by watching Maria Sharapova, broke Swiatek twice to level the second set at 4-4. However, the five-time Grand Slam champion’s relentless intensity and thunderous groundstrokes – so powerful they audibly startled spectators – proved too much in the end.
Swiatek sealed victory with a crushing service return winner, completing her set of semifinal appearances at all four majors. The win marked a significant milestone for the 22-year-old, who had previously never advanced beyond the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, the only Slam where she hadn’t reached the final four.
With 38 unforced errors and 16 forced errors from Samsonova, Swiatek’s dominance was clear. The Polish star’s transformation on grass has been one of the tournament’s standout stories, as she looks to add Wimbledon glory to her four Grand Slam titles. Her next challenge comes against Olympic champion Bencic, with a potential final against defending champion Elena Rybakina looming.
