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Unseeded France’s Alize Cornet stuns world No. 1 Iga Swiatek to end the Pole’s 37-game winning streak and reach the last 16 for the first time since Wimbledon 2014; Amanda Anisimova, Harmony Tan and former champion Simona Halep also advance to the fourth round
Last updated: 02/07/22 20:02
Iga Swiatek suffered a shocking straight-set loss to Alize Cornet at Wimbledon as her 37-match winning streak came to a stunning end.
The world No. 1 had not lost since February, when she lost to Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai, but was out of form against her French No. 1 opponent.
Swiatek made 32 unforced errors to lose 6-4, 6-2 in the third round at the All England Club in an hour and 32 minutes.
“What can I say? I know I didn’t play good tennis. I was pretty confused about my tactics,” said Swiatek. “As a solid player, she put that to good use. It wasn’t a good performance for me.
No woman had won as many matches in a row as Swiatek since Martina Hingis also had a streak of 37 in 1997.
“Right now even I’m happy with this series so I’m glad I did it.”
Swiatek is proud to say that he reached Hingis’ series
An upset was in store early on when Cornet, who reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January, broke the first seed twice early on.
Despite Swiatek falling behind, it was the experienced Frenchwoman who kept her nerve to win the opener with a forehand smash in 52 minutes.
With Polish star Swiatek taking a 2-0 lead early in the second, the comeback seemed to have begun, but Cornet continued to force the French Open winner into long rallies and eventually wore her down to claim a memorable win.
It brought back memories for the 32-year-old after she also stunned Serena Williams on that pitch in 2014.
Cornet said in court: “I have no words. It reminds me of the time I beat Serena on that pitch eight years ago, so you’re lucky for me.
“I just want to say that I’m a huge fan of Iga. I’m very flattered that I was able to beat her today.
“I am like the good wine in France. Good wine always ages well.”
Coco Gauff suffered a third-round elimination after losing 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-1 to her American compatriot on center court Amanda Anizimova.
French Open runner-up Gauff was able to win a hard-fought start in the tie-break, but was then no longer able to keep up with the level of the 20th set.
Anisimova, who won the 2017 US Open junior final between the duo, clinched the win with a backhand winner to reach the last 16 at the All England Club for the first time.
This American clash was a repeat of the 2017 US Open junior final, which Anisimova won, but it was Gauff who won a tight opening set here.
Gauff overcame the tie-breaker but had little response from the world No. 25, who found success with a fine backhand winner.
This is the first time Anisimova, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2019, has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.
After two hours and seven minutes of tennis, the 20-year-old lay down on the lawn full of emotions.
Anisimova calmed down for an interview in court, in which she admitted: “This is the special day of my career.
“It’s just a huge privilege to play on this pitch, I was so excited to play Coco, an amazing player.
“Before, I was just trying to prepare myself to take it on, win it or lose it, so winning is so special.”
Next up is Anisimova harmony tan after flying to victory against Great Britain within the hour Katie Boulter.
Former Wimbledon winner Simona Halep went into the fourth round with a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 win over Poland Magdalena Frech.
The Romanian, 30, who returned to the All England Club this year for the first time since winning here in 2019, said: “It was a good game. It’s always difficult to play on grass. Today with the wind was not so easy.
“Playing at Wimbledon is always a pleasure and I have great memories, so I try to enjoy every day.
“It helps a lot that I was able to win this tournament. I have confidence but every game is difficult and every opponent is tough.”
Last year’s quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic bounced back from a deficit to complete a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over the 2021 French Open champion Barbara Krejcikova.
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