Iga Swiatek’s Title Drought Faces Liudmila Samsonova Storm in Unnerving Wimbledon Clash

Iga Swiatek is back and how! It appears the Pole remains unhinged of what goes around her even when the chips are down, in back-to-back events. The 2025 season hasn’t been kind to her. She’s yet to win a title on any surface. She was expected to do so on the Parisian clay last month. But the former World No.1 was eliminated, shockingly, against Aryna Sabalenka in the semis. But guess what? The five-time slam queen has stunned everyone with her resurgence and newfound confidence on a surface she hardly likes — grass. In quick time, she’s has made it to the quarterfinal round at the Wimbledon. Of course she would like to improve on her run but it won’t be so easy on Wednesday. She’s got Liudmila Samsonova standing in her way. So can Swiatek overcome her and book a semifinal spot?

Swiatek kicked off her campaign at the grass major with a straight-set win over Russia’s Polina Kudermetova in the first round. She didn’t take long to edge out Aussie Caty McNally in the next round despite losing the first set. The Pole fought back and snatched the next two, in a decider and moved ahead. Up next was Danielle Collins who stunned Swiatek at the Italian Open few months ago. But guess what? The World No.4 took her sweet revenge this time. She thrashed the American with a brutal score line of 6-2, 6-3 before giving a similar treatment to Clara Tauson (6-4, 6-1) to advance into the quarterfinal phase.

On the other hand, Liudmila Samsonova beat Australia’s young talent Maya Joint in her opening battle in straight sets. She then edged out Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva with a dominating score line of 6-2, 6-1 and entered the third round. Against another Australian, Daria Kasatkina, she kept her smooth run going with another straight-set triumph. Samsonova repeated a similar performance against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to get her quarterfinal ticket.

Speaking on their event history, Iga Swiatek’s best run at the Wimbledon is reaching the quarterfinals. Two years ago, she achieved that feat before falling to Elina Svitolina. Samsonova, however, has failed to shine much at the grass major. She never passed the third round before 2025 — this time she’s improved. When it comes to H2H record, Swiatek is miles ahead of her opponent with a 4-0 lead. So far, they have played on clay and hard court but not grass. Looks like they will enjoy stepping on it against each other. Reason?

The Pole’s form on grass in 2025 has been tremendous, winning 7 of her eight matches. Simply put, she’s got a win percentage of 87.5. Samsonova is not far behind as well. She’s clinched 7 of her 9 encounters on this surface with a win percentage of 77.77. While they may appear similar, Swiatek’s got more experience playing at the All England Club. She’s in her sixth campaign compared to the Russian’s fourth appearance.

Tennis – 2025 Wimbledon Championships – Womens Singles – 2nd round – Iga Swiatek v Caty McNally All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club – Thursday 3rd July 2025 Iga Swiatek of Poland PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK

Given her stature to perform well in high stake matches, and her growing confidence on grass, Swiatek can snatch another win. Samsonova may pose a threat initially but the Pole is expected to reign supreme even if the match goes into a decider.

Apart from the goal of winning her maiden title in one more than a year, Swiatek will look to accomplish a rare milestone for her country. For over a decade, no Polish woman has made it to the summit clash at the All England Club.

Iga Swiatek can create Wimbledon history for Poland after a decade

Agnieszka Radwańska was the last Polish WTA player to enter the Wimbledon final. Back in 2012, the former pro faced 23-time slam queen Serena Williams. Unfortunately, she couldn’t beat the American and missed out on the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy. Williams won that encounter with a score line of 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.

Swiatek’s already matched her best Wimbledon campaign, being in the QF stage. But she’s not one to get pleased until with it, until she gets her hands on the coveted title. Yes, it’s been a difficult tournament for her in the past. Even she’s admitted it on previous instances.

Remember what she said after losing in the third round against Yulia Putintseva in last year’s edition? “For me going from this kind of tennis where I felt like I’m playing the best tennis in my life to another surface where I kind of struggle a little bit more, it’s not easy,” reported WTA’s website in July 2024. “All that stuff really combines to me not really having a good time in Wimbledon.”

However, this time the Pole is looking completely different. Seems like she’s begun to embrace grass and adapt to it the way she prefers to, with clay. Do you think Iga Swiatek will make it to her maiden semifinal at the All England Club and eventually lift the trophy this coming weekend? Let us know in the comments below.

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