In the Wimbledon round of 16 of the women’s competition, only two of the ten best-seeded players are still there. At the end of the third round, the top favorite also gets it.
In a women’s tournament with big surprises, the dominator of the past few months has now also been caught in Wimbledon. After 37 successes and more than four months, the impressive winning streak of world number one Iga Swiatek broke on the classic lawn.
The 21-year-old lost in the third round on Saturday 4: 6, 2: 6 against French player Alizé Cornet. The Pole had won the French Open and the previous five tennis tournaments and was also the top favorite at Wimbledon.
“I wasn’t in my best shape, so I knew this could happen,” said Swiatek, who doesn’t like playing on grass as much. “Right now I’m satisfied with my series, I’m glad I did it.”
This leaves only two of the top ten seeded players in the round of 16: Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur and Spain’s Paula Badosa. Jule Niemeier and Tatjana Maria, the remaining German professionals, have each thrown a top ten player out of the tournament.
Cornet: «flattered that I hit her»
In her first loss since February 16, Swiatek made 33 unforced errors and her second serve was repeatedly attacked by Cornet. The 32-year-old has never made it past the round of 16 at Wimbledon, but she shocked American superstar Serena Williams at the tournament.
“I’m at a loss for words, it reminds me of beating Serena on the same court,” Cornet said on Court 1. “I’m a big fan of Iga, she’s so talented and such a nice tennis ambassador. I’m flattered that I hit her.” When asked about her age, she joked: “I’m like good wine. In France, good wine always ages well.” In the round of 16, Cornet meets Ajla Tomljanovic from Australia, who is also unseeded.
Before the tournament, nobody expected Cornet’s compatriot Harmony Tan to take part in the round of 16. The 24-year-old Serena Williams vanquisher defeated Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-1 in 51 minutes and now challenges Amanda Anisimova. The 20-year-old had triumphed in the US duel with Coco Gauff, who was two years her junior, 6: 7 (4: 7), 6: 2, 6: 1 and also beat a possible title contender.
