Iga Swiatek surprises herself by breaking through her grass ceiling at Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek has surprised herself with her form on grass, and she is now just one victory away from a first senior Wimbledon title.

The Pole has been growing in confidence on grass all fortnight and was calmness personified in a 6-2 6-0 victory over Belinda Bencic that lasted just 72 minutes.

It would have been even quicker but for a lengthy delay three games into the contest when, for a third time on Centre Court on Thursday, a spectator was taken unwell.

All the heat on the court was coming from the racket of Swiatek, who has somewhat improbably surged back to form on the lawns in SW19.

It was, by her exceedingly lofty standards, a torrid campaign on her favoured clay for the 24-year-old but a run to the final of the grass-court tournament in Bad Homburg on the eve of Wimbledon appears to have been the catalyst.

That was the first final Swiatek had reached at any level since winning her fifth grand slam title at the French Open last spring, and now she is only one match away from matching Carlos Alcaraz by winning major trophies on each surface.

Swiatek won the girls’ title here seven years ago but had never been beyond the quarter-finals in the main event until now and, asked if she had surprised herself, she said: “I did. Yeah, for sure.

Sensational Swiatek strikes on Centre Court ✨

Iga Swiatek produces a remarkable performance against Belinda Bencic to win 6-2, 6-0 and reach her first #Wimbledon final