World No.1 Iga Swiatek has been knocked out of the Wimbledon championships in a match where she lost 12 out of the last 15 games played.

The top seed struggled for consistency in her shotmaking and appeared overwhelmed throughout her 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, loss to Yulia Putintseva. A 29-year-old Kazakh who has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam three times during her career.

Swiatek looked panicky during the later stages of the match and at one point close to tears. Even a lengthy toilet break between the second and third set failed to help her regain any momentum in her tennis. Overall she hit 38 unforced errors which was considerably more than Putintseva’s tally of 15.

“It feels great. The tactic was to play my game and stay intense every point,” the world No.35 said.
“I was thinking during the play that I beat the world No 1 on grass before [Naomi Osaka]. I was always really fired up as I have no words, I’m just so happy.”

Swiatek, who has recorded 45 Tour-level wins this season, had never lost to her opponent before today. The defeat continues her mixed record at Wimbledon which is the only Grand Slam where she has yet to reach the semi-final stage.

Meanwhile, Putintseva’s impressive display should come as no surprise given her recent results. She is yet to lose a match on the grass this year after winning the Birmingham Open. She has now won eight matches in a row, which is her best-ever streak on the Tour.

“You guys brought me back to life after the first set. It was a great energy from all of you today, I was feeling it and trying to entertain you with my shots. Thank you.” She said in tribute to the Court One crowd.

In the last 16 Putintseva will play former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. They re currently tied at 2-2 in there head-to-head.

“Can I just rest for the moment and not think about what I have to do right now?” She said of the upcoming meeting.
“Come back to practice tomorrow and see what I can do against Jelena.”

This wasn’t the only shock in the women’s draw on Saturday. Another high-profile casualty is two-time finalist Ons Jabeur who was beaten 6-2, 7-6(4), by Elina Svitolina. It is her earliest exit from the tournament since 2019.

Emma Raducanu’s offensive at Wimbledon is gaining momentum after she dropped just five games against Maria Sakkari in the third round on Friday. 

The Brit looked as if she was the higher-ranked player on Center court as she stormed to a 6-2, 6-3, win over Sakkari, who was seeded ninth in the draw. It is only the second time she has beaten a player currently ranked in the world’s top 10. Her first triumph was over Jessica Pegula last month, which also occurred on the grass. She has dropped just 17 games in three matches played so far this week. 

“I think I’ve been just tracking nicely,” Raducanu said of her recent form. “I think everything I’ve been doing has just accumulated. Match by match I’ve grown in confidence.
“I was getting to certain shots today (against Sakkari) that I didn’t think I would get to usually. It’s a pleasant surprise.
“I think that everything in general is just a result of all the hard work I’ve been doing.”

Currently playing some of the best tennis of her career, Raducanu’s run is being compared to her triumph at the 2021 US Open when she won the title as a qualifier. Since then, her progression on the Tour has been a roller-coaster experience due to various injury setbacks hampering her progress. Last year, she missed the second half of the season following wrist and ankle surgeries. 

“It was really painful last year coming here (to Wimbledon) and not being able to compete, being on the other side of it. Ithink that feeling has been pulling me through a lot this week,” she explains.
“Just remembering how I felt then, bringing it back to the present.
“I’ve just been having so much fun that I really just want to stay. I don’t want to go home. It’s a good, different type of motivation.”

Heading into the fourth round, Raducanu will be the favourite against Lulu Sun. A 24-year-old qualifier who switched nationalities from Switzerland to New Zealand (where she was born) earlier this year.  At Wimbledon, Sun knocked out world No.8 Zheng Qinwen to claim her first completed victory over a top 100 player! 

The focus of British fans are on Raducanu once again, even though there is another home player left in the women’s draw.Harriet Dart will play her third round match on Saturday. On the men’s side, Cameron Norriw is flying the flag on his own. 

“I love playing on the big courts. For me, I thrive on such occasions,” she states.
“It’s something that I play tennis for. I just love the feeling of it, competing, especially here in front of a home crowd. It is really amazing.”

Raducanu is the second-youngest British woman to beat a top 10 player at a Grand Slam over the past four decades. Theyoungest to do so was Laura Robson who beat Li Na at the 2012 US Open. 

Paula Badosa has reached the second week of a Grand Slam before but her run at this year’s Wimbledon Championships is very different. 

The Spaniard has secured her place in the last 16 after suffering from a serious back injury so severe that at one point doctors warned she may have to retire. Badosa has been affected by pain in the region ever since suffering a stress fracture last season. Despite undergoing various treatments, the issue is long-term and she has injections so she can continue playing. 

“At the bottom of my heart, I wasn’t accepting it. I was, like, ‘I’m going to continue no matter what’. That’s also what made me the player I am, that I always want more,” Badosa said during her press conference.
“I’m always going to fight, however difficult that moment is, you know.
“Of course, there are some moments that there’s pain, and you don’t really know what to do. You a feel a bit lost. But I didn’t care. I remember telling to my team that I was going to play with pain.”

Given these circumstances, the 26-year-old was emotional following her latest win at The All England Club where she ousted an in-form Daria Kasatkina 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4. A player who won the Eastbourne International last week and dropped no games in her previous match against Yuriko Miyazaki.

“Last year here I had to retire … I was on the couch and watching the tournaments from home. This year when I started, I didn’t know what was going to happen.” she reflected. 

Before her physical issues, Badosa has won three WTA titles so far in her career, including the prestigious Indian Wells Open in 2021. She has been ranked as high as No.2 in the world. 

At present, she is 93th in the PIF WTA rankings but was as low as 140th in May. A true testament to her determination in the sport. 

“I’ve always been tough mentally and a fighter, so I was going to do it anyway. So for me, I’m very proud that I’ve been through all of this,” she said.
“And now I’m again in the fourth round and playing at a good level, because sometimes when I came back (I was) struggling so much, my level wasn’t there.
“I felt so far away. Now, seeing myself back at it, it means a lot.”

Badosa will next play either Dayana Yastremska or Donna Vekic.