MY ACCOUNT
Iga Swiatek is quickly becoming the dominant force in women’s tennis and the Polish world No1 is considered a strong favourite for Wimbledon glory.
Swiatek, 21, heads to the All England Club oozing confidence after claiming the second Grand Slam title of her career at the French Open.
Swiatek’s victory over Cori Gauff in the Parisian title decider extended her winning tally to 35 games, with her last six tournament appearances having all ended with silverware.
But grass is considered a specialist surface and the Warsaw star has to show she can successfully make the transition from clay to turf.
Swiatek warrants her status as the player to beat but she still awaits a first title on the terrain and her previous two visits to Wimbledon have ended in the fourth round, with Ons Jabeur having her measure last year.
Talented Tunisian a chief title threat
There are plenty of threats to Swiatek’s title supremacy and Jabueur could be the biggest of them all.
The Tunisian went on to lose in last year’s quarter-finals to Aryna Sabalenka but the Belarusian is a high-profile absentee from Wimbledon this year, while reigning champion Ashleigh Barty has subsequently retired.
Even so, Jabuer has taken her game to new heights this season and she became the first African player to win a WTA Masters 1000 event when beating American ace Jessica Pegula in Madrid in May.
The 27-year-old ace then showed she was a natural on grass when winning in Berlin earlier this month, having got the better of both Gauff and Belinda Bencic on her way to the title.
Being third seed, Jabeur avoids Swiatek until the final and that should ensure she enjoys another deep run at SW19, with a title triumph not beyond the realms of possibility.
Athletic American may fulfil her promise
Gauff was no match for Swiatek in the French Open final, losing 6-1 6-3, but the athletic American looks much better suited to the challenges of Wimbledon.
The 18-year-old’s aggressive approach favours this surface and she has reached the fourth round in her two previous visits to the All England Club.
The teenage sensation, who rose to prominence with a win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon when she was just 15, looks like a Grand Slam winner in waiting and this summer could be when everything comes together.
Her draw could have been kinder but recent form suggests she can come through the second quarter at the expense of injury-ravaged pair Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova, last year’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova and 40-year-old veteran Serena Williams.
The American may have to renew her rivalry with Swiatek in the semi-finals but she should have learned plenty from her runner-up effort at Roland Garros.
