Shortly before the start of the Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon, Iga Swiatek made it clear that she was aware that it would be difficult for her to defend her title. This year she finally took part in the competition after an unsuccessful performance in Bad Homburg, where she was eliminated in her first match.
In London, our tennis player first had a three-set battle with Taylor Townsend, and then confidently defeated Karolina Pliskova. Her next opponent was Alexandra Eala, and she proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. The Filipino won with a score of 7:6 (9), 6:2.
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Good start to bad
The Pole put pressure on the Filipina from the start, who was forced to defend a break point largely due to an ineffective shot. Then a great forehand after serving clarified the situation. Although Ela came out of trouble, in the third game, when she was against the wall, she was passed by her opponent and lost a pass.
However, the Filipina reacted immediately. True, she spent the first two break points due to errors, but Swiatek made a mistake in the next one. From that moment on, the game was equal, but in the eighth game the situation changed.
Our tennis player’s mistakes, mainly from her forehand, meant that Ela had a chance to break. In the next action she sent a magnificent return shot, after which the Pole made a mistake and lost 3:5.
On the next play, Swiatek had to defend a set ball after a poor play and then rose to the occasion with a forehand finisher. In the next two exchanges she lost her balance and thus eliminated the advantage, but moments later she reached the score of 5:5.
Although there was a risk of a tie-break, our tennis player could have avoided it. After a long struggle, the Filipina made a mistake in the eleventh game and then defended a break point. However, she saved herself with her serve and the Polish woman’s chance was missed. So much so that she then confidently held the pass.
Roller coaster tiebreaker
The additional competitions in the premiere version were unusual, with as many as 20 draws played and it was a real roller coaster ride. On the one hand, Swiatek (2-0) started well, on the other, from that moment Eala (5-2) scored five points in a row.
The only thing is that our tennis player was the first to score a standard ball. She also responded with a series, and after winning on the backhand, the score became 6-5. However, after the return ball hit the net, the game continued, and the Pole’s next mistake became an opportunity for the Filipina, but it was missed.
Swiatek took the next set piece and hit a forehand into the net. She didn’t have another chance as she first made it 9-9 with a cross-country backhand, then missed the court at a key moment and ended up losing 9-11.
Swiatek’s collapse
Our tennis player started the second game poorly. She made mistake after mistake and immediately lost the pass to zero, which meant trouble. Moreover, just a moment later Eala demonstrated her excellent serve.
The next game was decisive for the Pole and ended as badly as possible. After hitting a backhand into the net, she had to defend against a breakout and was ultimately helpless when her opponent sent her backhand cross.
Swiatek’s mistakes combined with Ela’s excellent passes contributed to the 4–0 score. However, it is worth noting that the turnaround could have happened in the fourth game, as the Filipina led 40-0 and eventually defended a break point. At a key moment, the lower-rated tennis player defended her serve and ultimately did not lose her advantage.
However, after the sixth game we can say that something has changed for our tennis player. Probably, having won back part of the losses (2:4), she again failed her own serve. Ela took advantage of a series of mistakes and went ahead 5:2.
Thus, the Filipino served at the end of the match, and then the longest game took place. The Pole could have easily extended the competition, but missed a total of four break points. Eala missed two match points, but on the third she hit a winning forehand.
Wimbledon:
3rd round of singles:
Alexandra Eala (Philippines, 29) – Iga Swiatek (Poland, 3) 7:6(9), 6:2