By Tony Fairbairn at Wimbledon
- World number one Iga Swiatek admits being left confused after her winning streak ended against Alize Cornet
- Amanda Anisimova was ‘extremely happy’ after defeating Coco Gauff on Centre Court
- Alex De Minaur talks speed after ending Broady’s Wimbledon dream
LONDON, ENGLAND – World number one Iga Swiatek was left confused after her 37 match winning streak ended against Alize Cornet while Amanda Anisimova triumphed over Coco Gauff.
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Swiatek’s winning streak ends
The big talking point on day six was about Iga Swiatek after she exited Wimbledon after being knocked out in straight sets by Alize Cornet. Cornet was simply too good for the world number one as she ended Swiatek’s 37 match winning streak in fine fashion. As for the Pole, grass is always her weakest surface and that was exposed by Cornet who rushed her throughout the course of the straight sets win.
After the match Swiatek admitted she was confused by the tactics as she comfortably exited the tournament:
“I mean, I know I didn’t play good tennis. I was pretty confused about my tactics. As a solid player, she used that pretty well. For sure, it wasn’t good performance for me,” Swiatek said during her press conference.
“Well, basically the thing that I changed this season is I started being more and more aggressive. It was really comfortable for me to have the initiative and be proactive. But here I couldn’t control the ball. So I needed to slow down a little bit. Also, you know, when you play aggressively and you suddenly change the way you play, it’s not easy to keep that.
“Yeah, so I got a little bit confused. But still the most important thing for me was to put the ball in. At least I wasn’t making the same amount of mistakes than at the beginning. I tried many things to feel better on court, on grass court, but it didn’t really work out.
“That’s why I’m not even hard on myself because, like, it’s kind of logic that if I couldn’t find it even on practices, I’m not going to find it on a match.”
Despite her third round loss Swiatek has a lot to be proud of with her 37 match winning streak and even the Pole doesn’t know what it will mean in terms of her career, she said that she was very proud:
“I’ve never been in such situation. I guess you have to ask me next month when I’m going to have time to reflect little bit,” Swiatek admitted.
“But I hope this is going to be the thing that I’m going to be proud of. I mean, right now even I am satisfied with this streak, so I’m happy that I was able to do that.”
As for Cornet it’s another big win for her Wimbledon and another deep run at a grand slam after reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. Cornet said in her press conference that belief was the key to victory:
“I had this belief for a few days already. I mean, a few days… After I won my second round, I knew that I would probably play against Iga,” Cornet admitted.
“I kept telling myself, Well, the streak – I was telling myself someone would have to break the streak eventually, and why not me? That’s all. I thought that here was the best chance for me to do it. Maybe it was her less good surface. She’s so good on clay court and hard court. And grass, you know, I knew I had a little opportunity to do something.
“I knew I had to play a very solid match. I think that’s what I did today. Yeah, the belief was there since the beginning. I think it’s very important to have that, otherwise you stand no chance in front of this kind of player.”
Cornet will now play Ajla Tomljanovic on Monday for a place in the last eight after the Australian knocked out former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Anisimova ‘extremely happy’ after victory over Gauff
Next up it’s all about the battle of the young Americans on Centre Court as Amanda Anisimova took on Roland Garros finalist Coco Gauff. It was an entertaining battle as Gauff took the first set on a tiebreak as she overcame Anisimova’s fiery power. However it was Anisimova who produced an extraordinary next two sets as she only dropped three games to seal victory which was followed by a flood of tears. After the match Anisimova told the press that she was happy and described Centre Court as amazing:
“Just being here all week and seeing Centre Court, it’s just so amazing to just be around it,” Anisimova said.
“I was extremely happy that I got to play on it today. Yeah, I was just coming in today super excited. I was kind of visualizing playing on it. Then I saw how packed it was. It was just extremely special.
“Especially after last year, I wouldn’t have pictured myself in this position just coming off of so many losses last year. Having this moment, it just means a lot to me.”
Anisimova has had an incredibly consistent season and is now reaping the rewards of her hard work. Next for the young American is Harmony Tan who thrashed Katie Boulter with the loss of two games. Anisimova described tan as a tough opponent and won’t be underestimating her ahead of Monday’s clash:
“She is a tough opponent. Yeah, I’ll come up with a game plan with my coach and, yeah, just enjoy the moment and being in the fourth round,” Anisimova said.
“Well, I’ll look at some of her recent matches. It was a while ago that I played her. I haven’t really seen her play very recently. I’ll just look. It’s more important on how I’m playing. That’s what I try to focus on, what I’m doing, just kind of sticking to my aggressive game style.”
On the Women’s side there was victory for Simona Halep while Paula Badosa edged past Petra Kvitova 7-5 7-6(4) in the other big clash of the day.
De Minaur reflects on speed after making second week
Finally Alex De Minaur is into the second week of Wimbledon after an impressive victory over Liam Broady. De Minaur had to overcome say late-match nerves as he reached the last 16 at Wimbledon for the first time in his career. De Minaur is often described as one of the fastest players on the tour and the Australian said that it’s something he’s been working on throughout his career:
“When it comes to my speed around the court, it’s been a lot of work through the years,” the Australian admitted.
“Kind of, you know, God gave me the physique I’ve got. I’m probably not the biggest guy, strongest guy. I had to work different areas of my game to be competitive. You know, footwork and speed and trying to get out of different positions around the court was always something I’ve worked really hard on.
“I probably reckon I’m what you would call tennis fast. I’m probably good around the corners. Good at getting out of tough positions. Good reading the play. I don’t know about 100-meter sprint. I have put in a lot of work in that, whether it’s speed or just, you know, long-distance running. I have done a lot of that. So I back myself when it comes to fitness in tennis matches.”
De Minaur will face Cristian Garin for a place in the quarter-finals on Monday.
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