After years of disappointment, Poland’s Iga Swiatek is a win away from a cathartic Wimbledon singles championship.
On Thursday, Swiatek, the No. 4 player on the WTA Tour, advanced to her first Wimbledon final with a 6-2, 6-0 win over 2020 Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic.
Previously, the five-time major champion was a two-time pre-Wimbledon favorite but failed to live up to those lofty expectations each time.
Swiatek was a heavy favorite in 2022, entering the tournament at +130 to clinch her first Rosewater Dish. Ons Jabeur (+800) ranked second. She was also the favorite ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon at +250, slightly ahead of Elena Rybakina (+450). Swiatek lost to unseeded Alize Cornet in the third round of the 2022 Wimbledon, while dropping in the quarterfinals the following year to wild-card Elina Svitolina.
She entered the 2024 tournament second (+350) and this year’s event third (+900).
Swiatek plays American Amanda Anisimova in the final. It will be their first career match. Anisimova was +3200 to win Wimbledon before the first round began, and she could be another long-shot winner, albeit not nearly as long as the past two champions, Marketa Vondrousova (+10000) in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova (+12500) in 2024.
Swiatek is 5-0 in her grand slam finals career, only dropping one set in five matches (2023 French Open).
With a win on Saturday, Swiatek will move an Australian Open title away from the career grand slam. Maria Sharapova was the most recent woman to accomplish the feat at the 2012 French Open.
Wimbledon has historically been Swiatek’s worst major. Before 2025, Swiatek was 11-5 all-time at the All England Club. Her .688 win percentage was her worst in the four tennis grand slam tournaments, and she had never advanced past the quarters. Last year, she lost to unseeded Yulia Putintseva in the third round.
Swiatek, 24, has already accomplished a lot in her young career, but winning Wimbledon has proved elusive. Perhaps not for much longer.
