Iga Swiatek arrived at Wimbledon with zero expectations, but the 20-year-old Pole served notice that she is a genuine contender after dismantling Irina-Camelia Begu in less than an hour to reach the fourth round.
Swiatek, last year’s surprise French Open champion, had made just one previous appearance on the grass at the All England Club a first-round defeat in 2019.
Only last month Swiatek admitted that she “did not expect anything good from the season on the grass”, a surface she claims does not suit her game.
But the Warsaw-born youngster looked to the manor born in the sunshine on Court 12 as she demolished Romanian world number 79 Begu 6-1 6-0.
And in a field in which six of the top 10 women’s seeds have already departed, Swiatek has every chance of going even deeper into the second week.
