Yulia Putintseva halts Iga Swiatek's win streak at 21 with third-round Wimbledon stunner
The world No. 1, as consistent as they come, made 38 unforced errors—compared to her unseeded opponent's 15.
On set point in the second set, Yulia Putintseva fired a forehand winner with such confidence and command that you’d have thought her opponent was utterly overmatched, not fit to be on the same court as the 29-year-old from Kazakhstan.
Yet this opponent was Iga Swiatek, the clear-cut No. 1 player in the world, and who carried a 21-match win streak into this contest.
Yet Swiatek was overmatched.
After dropping the first set 6-3, Putintseva somehow never looked back, taking the second and third sets by never-in-doubt, 6-1, 6-2 scorelines. It is just the fourth time in 109 matches, since the start of 2023, that Swiatek has lost after winning the first set.
Other stunning statistics from this third-round stunner:
- Swiatek, as consistent as they come, made 38 unforced errors compared to Putintseva's 15.
- With Swiatek serving down 5-1 in the third set, and trailing 0-15, the forehand error count read: Putintseva 2, Swiatek 28.
- In the third set, with the pressure at its apex, Putintseva made just 3 unforced errors (Swiatek tallied 15).
"She looks very lost," Rennae Stubbs said at one point on ESPN commentary, of course referring to Swiatek.
Putintseva is unseeded, though she's hardly on equal footing with players without a number by her name. The world No. 35 entered Wimbledon 28-15 on the season, including quarterfinal showings in Miami and Madrid, and a tune-up title in Birmingham. She's an all-surface threat—a label Swiatek is trying to earn.
A major storyline heading into The Championships was Swiatek's inability to translate her exceptional game to grass. She has reached 26 tour-level finals, but none on grass. Her record at Wimbledon is dismal compared to the other Slams; in five appearances, she's reached the fourth round just twice.
Is Iga Swiatek ready to win a Grand Slam title on grass? That was the first question Steve Tignor asked about the women’s tournament—as "everything else right now is contingent on the answer."
Not yet.