Iga Swiatek is out of Wimbledon and in truth it had been coming. The World No 1’s dominant streak at the top of the game came to an end at 37 matches as Alize Cornet seized the opportunity and exploited Swiatek’s hesitancy on the grass courts of SW19. Swiatek’s arrival at the All England Club came with the warning that she had yet to settle on the surface and the 21-year-old had been a different player this week from the one who conquered all before her on clay at the French Open last month.
For Cornet, the 6-4 6-2 victory sealed another upset over a World No 1 at Wimbledon, eight years on from stunning Serena Williams in a match that also took place on Court No 1. Cornet was a problematic opponent for Swiatek from the start and revealed that she had taken confidence from the Pole’s struggles in the early matches against Jana Fett and Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove. “I knew I could do it,” Cornet admitted. “If there was ever a moment to beat her, it was now, on grass.”
