LONDON — For a long time, Iga Swiatek struggled to find her footing on the grass courts of Wimbledon, unsure if she’d ever secure a trophy to complement her Grand Slam achievements. How wrong that assumption turned out to be.
Not only has Swiatek claimed the title at the All England Club, but she did so in spectacular fashion, achieving a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Amanda Anisimova on Saturday. This marked the first women’s final in 114 years where one player failed to win a single game.
“It feels,” said Swiatek, a 24-year-old Polish phenom who boasts a flawless 6-0 record in major finals, “incredibly surreal.”
The surreal ambiance continued as the match unfolded under the sun with a gentle breeze at Centre Court, where the 13th-seeded Anisimova, a 23-year-old American, experienced her first Grand Slam final.
With the Princess of Wales, Kate, present in the Royal Box to award the trophies, the entire match was wrapped up in just 57 minutes. The last time a Wimbledon women’s final ended with such a scoreline was in 1911.
“Honestly, I never dared to dream of this,” Swiatek admitted. “To me, it felt too far-fetched. I see myself as an experienced player after my previous Slam wins, but I didn’t anticipate this one.”
She dominated by winning 55 of the 79 points, needing only 10 winners, while Anisimova struggled intensely, committing 28 unforced errors.
“You’re an incredible player, and it clearly showed today,” Anisimova acknowledged. “You’ve inspired me so much. You’re simply an extraordinary athlete.”
Though Swiatek had already claimed four titles on the clay of the French Open and one on the hard courts of the U.S. Open, this victory marked her inaugural title on grass. It also ended a significant title drought; her last trophy came over a year ago at Roland Garros in June 2024.
Swiatek now joins the ranks of eight consecutive first-time women’s champions at Wimbledon, but her win was particularly notable due to its sheer dominance.
Anisimova, who had previously won her first-round match in stunning style with a 6-0, 6-0 score, had also taken down the No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. However, she appeared far from that form on Saturday.
“Regardless of today’s outcome,” Swiatek told Anisimova, “you have every reason to be proud of your journey.”
As Swiatek celebrated with her team in the stands, Anisimova sat on the sidelines, tears of emotion flowing.
Swiatek had never advanced past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before, and her only previous final appearance on grass was as a runner-up at a preparatory event in Germany just before the prestigious tournament.
Despite spending a significant amount of time at No. 1 in the WTA rankings during 2022, 2023, and 2024, she was seeded No. 8 at Wimbledon. This was following a one-month doping ban last year after an out-of-competition drug test revealed she had been unintentionally exposed to a contaminated sleep aid.
Anisimova, who was originally from New Jersey and later relocated to Florida, made a splash at just 17 by reaching the semifinals of the 2019 French Open. Sadly, she faced the loss of her father soon after that. For this final, Anisimova’s mother made a rare journey to England to support her daughter.
“My mom is incredibly selfless, and she’s sacrificed so much to help me get here,” Anisimova expressed through tears, turning to her mother, adding, “Thank you for breaking the superstition about flying in.”
With a hint of humor, Anisimova remarked, “But that’s definitely not the reason for my loss today.”
Two years ago, she took time off from the tour due to burnout. Last year, she attempted to qualify for Wimbledon but fell short, ranking 189th, which made it impossible to enter the main draw automatically.
Now, she is on the verge of breaking into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time.
“This fortnight has been nothing short of incredible for me. Even though I exhausted myself a bit today, and I wish I could have performed better for all of you,” Anisimova addressed the crowd, “your support has uplifted me immensely.”
