Swiatek's Determination Prevails in Thrilling Wimbledon Showdown with Bencic

Iga Swiatek saved two match points against Belinda Bencic and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon with a score of 6-7 (4), 7-6(2), 6-3.

The Swiss player entered the match after a comfortable victory over the 23rd seed Magda Linette in straight sets, matching her best performance at Wimbledon, having reached the fourth round in 2015 and 2018. On Swiatek's side, she also had a previous fourth-round record at Wimbledon, achieved in 2021, and she defeated the 30th seed Petra Martic in her previous match.

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In the first set, Swiatek started with great energy and had three break points against Bencic in the second game, but the former world No. 4 managed to save them all. With both players holding their serves from the beginning, Swiatek won 79% of her service points compared to Bencic's 67%.

The Polish player was less aggressive than usual and relinquished the initiative to her opponent: Bencic hit 14 winners and 13 unforced errors, while Swiatek had 9 winners and 7 unforced errors. The set reached a tiebreak where Bencic continued to excel in crucial moments, just as she had saved six break points during the set, and she took the advantage with a score of 7-6 (4).

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Swiatek seemed nervous at the start of the second set and quickly dropped her service in the first game to the four-time Grand Slam champion. Swiatek regained her confidence and was up 3-1, but Bencic fought back and took a 5-4 lead. At 6-5, Bencic had two match points at 15-40, but Swiatek played them impeccably, extending the match to another tiebreak.

The tiebreaker was a nerve-wracking battle, with mini breaks in the first five points. Swiatek took a 3-2 lead and won the next four points, with a total of 5 breaks on her opponent's serves to take the set 7-6(2).

In the fourth game of the deciding set, Swiatek secured the crucial break and then took a commanding 4-1 lead, marking Bencic's toughest moment in the match. Although Bencic had a chance to recover the break when she was up 0-30 in the final game, Swiatek ultimately sealed the hard-fought match and advanced to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time in her career. She will now face the winner of the match between Victoria Azarenka and Elina Svitolina.

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Iga Swiatek, a #Wimbledon quarter-finalist for the first time 👏

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