(VIDEO) Iga Swiatek bursts into tears after tough Wimbledon title defence opener against Taylor Townsend
WTATuesday, 30 June 2026 at 18:34
Reigning champion Iga Swiatek began her Wimbledon title defence but it wasn't exactly easy for her as she survived a huge scare against Taylor Townsend and the toll it took saw her cry on her bench after winning the match.
The Pole had not even dropped a set in an opening match at a Grand Slam tournament in six years, but she found herself on the verge of defeat in facing Taylor Townsend on Centre Court.
After racing through the opener, Townsend took the second to force a decider while the errors started to pile up for the 2025 champion. Swiatek was broken when 4-2 up in the final set, but she recovered tow in 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 and then burst into tears at her bench.
Last time she was at Wimbledon, she thrashed Amanda Anisimova, who herself managed to win through pretty easily, winning 6-0, 6-0 in last year's final. The first double bagel in a Wimbledon women's final since 1911.
As is tradition, she opened the Tuesday and she won six games in a row to take the first set 6-1 in around half an hour hitting just four unforced errors to 11 from Townsend.
But momentum flipped as the American stormed into a 4-0 lead as the defending champion was suddenly all at sea. The third seed went from minimal unforced errors to 16 in the second and left the court as a result ahead of the decider.
An emotional Iga Swiatek after battling through a tough first-round test at Wimbledon 🥺 pic.twitter.com/aS8uEqIIKr
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 30, 2026
She managed to get through but as was alluded to it did take its toll. “I’m not sure if I’m able to talk that much. But no, just, it was a tough couple of weeks and… Not a season where everything went how I wanted,” the former world No. 1 told the Centre Court crowd afterwards about why she was crying.
“I don’t think I won any, like, three-set match this year, so I’m happy that I could do it here. Obviously it means a lot opening the court as defending champion. I’m just happy to be here.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- "Question" Number 1 should be: Why do you think it's okay to steal Wildcard spots from deserving young and promising players just so you can basque in the spotlight and see your name in the media??
mandoist01-07-2026 - NO MORE WILDCARDS TO POSERS!!! WTA is Pathetic.mandoist01-07-2026
- Small mind, Small talk.mandoist29-06-2026
- In case you 'Americans' haven't heard: ESPN just screwed you out of Wimbledon coverage in the USA!! ESPN will offer ONE FREE MATCH PER DAY. If you want to see anything else "marketing" department mistake-makers think you will fork over $39.00 for a subscription to watch Wimbledon.mandoist28-06-2026
- This child is just too damn fragile.. stupse!Rapunzel28-06-2026
- Muchova owned Osaka before any hint of "injury". We all saw what we saw.mandoist27-06-2026
- Here's an idea! Media get your "journilism" credentials in order before attempting to actually be a Journalist. Then decide, 'Do I want to be a sensationalist love interest writer for people magazine'? Or, 'Do I want to be sensible and write about the actual sport and its athletes without making things worse for them for no good F-ing reason other than write filler'? This Serena bullshit, Iga's mental health intrusions, all of this crap is lowering the bar... even for this rag.mandoist27-06-2026
- Condescending Collins and her Elitist pal Williams need to go away... for good.mandoist25-06-2026
- This way she can continue her part-time unserious nonsense, withdraw from Wimbledon if it's too hot... and still keep her Sponsor$ Stop wasting everyone's time.mandoist25-06-2026
- Well said Ajila. Thank you for not being afraid to tell it like it is!! Hopefully your colleagues, their teams, and others will grow a set of real balls and FINALLY take WTA & ITIA to task for their varying degrees of treatment and mistakes. For all the good they do -- it only takes one poorly orchestrated in-house decision to ruin what little reputation they possess.mandoist24-06-2026
Loading