No 8 seed through to face Bencic after 6-2, 7-5 victory
‘It feels great … I got goosebumps after this win’
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.”
