Putintseva knocks out World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in Wimbledon third round stunner

Yulia Putintseva (No. 35) achieved a significant victory over world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, as the Pole faltered once again at Wimbledon. The 5-time Grand Slam champion was the favourite with her incredible streak of 21 consecutive wins that began at the Madrid Open in late April, but she experienced another early exit at Wimbledon.

The grass courts remain a challenge for Iga, who appears less dominant than on other surfaces and struggles to advance deep into the tournament. In her five appearances at Wimbledon, Swiatek has only reached the quarter-finals once and holds an 11-5 record, the lowest among the four Grand Slams.

Swiatek’s Wimbledon woes continue 

Despite the well-known fact that grass courts are not Swiatek's preferred surface, seeing the world No. 1 exit in the third round was unexpected. Putintseva had previously lost to Swiatek four times in her career, including twice this year, and had never taken a set from the Pole.

Read also

Top tennis stars gear up for Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Who's in and who's out as Entry List set

However, today the circumstances favoured the Kazakh, who had a 74% first serve success rate and won 68% of those points, taking full advantage of the surface. Swiatek took the first set without much trouble but couldn't find solutions as Putintseva elevated her game.

After losing the first set 3-6, Putintseva dominated the match, comfortably winning the next sets 6-1, 6-2, securing the biggest victory of her career and guaranteeing her appearance in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon for the first time.

Read also

Who is defending most WTA Ranking points during Wimbledon with collapses imminent