Iga Swiatek, ranked number one in the world, ended her 21-match winning streak at Wimbledon when she lost shockingly to Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the third round.
The athlete had been unbeaten in her matches for about three months, during which she had won the French Open with dominance. After she won the opening set 6-3 in the game, it looked as though her run would continue. However, Putintseva, ranked 35th in the world, came back and won 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the next two sets by dropping just three games.
With her loss, Swiatek admitted: “My tank of really pushing myself to the limits became suddenly empty… I was kind of surprised. But I know what I did wrong after Roland Garros. I didn’t really rest properly. I’m not going to make this mistake again.”
Swiatek playing on grass courts
Following an outstanding clay court season, Swiatek did not participate in any warm-up tournaments on grass, and she stated that she must remain patient with herself and accept that she will make mistakes as she plays on grass courts.
“For me going from this kind of tennis where I felt like I’m playing the best tennis in my life to another surface where I kind of struggle a little bit more, it’s not easy,” Swiatek expressed.
Putintseva’s rising success in Wimbledon
On the other hand, Putintseva, her opponent, has had an incredible grass court season. She won her first championship last month in Birmingham and is currently making her way to the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time ever.
In the opening set, Putintseva gave hints of her ability on grass when she made plays so delicate to save set point or a masterful backhand crosscourt passing shot that troubled Swiatek. Even though Swiatek was too strong in the opening set, Putintseva steadily weakened her strategy and won the second set to even the score.
She stayed steady and unwavering in the third set as Swiatek made a number of unusual unforced errors, finishing with a number of 38 errors at the end of the game as opposed to Putintseva with only 15.
Putintseva admitted: “At some point I was playing fearless… I was just, I can do it, I have to believe 100 percent, I have nothing to lose, just go for it. Also my coach told me, “No matter which shot you’re doing, believe 100 percent and just follow.””
The athlete is now preparing to battle against Jelena Ostapenko to have a place in the quarterfinals of the competition.