"I'm usually hard on myself when I lose, but I knew this was coming and I had a feeling it would happen in this tournament" - Iga Swiatek after Wimbledon 3R defeat
Iga Swiatek has said that she had an inkling that her long winning streak would end at Wimbledon following her straight-sets defeat to Alize Cornet in the third round on Saturday.
The top seed, riding a 37-match win streak, was slow to get off the blocks, dropping serve twice to fall behind 3-0. Although she recouped one of the breaks, Cornet took the opener 6-4 in just under an hour.
Swiatek looked good for a comeback when she led 2-0, 40-15 on serve. However, the 21-year-old inexplicably imploded as Cornet reeled off six games on the spin to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time since 2014.
Interestingly, the Frenchwoman had beaten another reigning World No. 1 - Serena Williams - to make her first Round of 16 at SW19 that year.
Top seed toppled ✅
@alizecornet produces a stunning performance to break world No.1 Iga Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak
#Wimbledon https://t.co/QcJOx0Ah3t
A disappointed Swiatek reflected in her press conference that her grasscourt game remains a work in progress. Despite her stellar results on hardcourt and clay, she added that she was found tactically wanting on grass.
"In order to reverse an adverse situation you have to have a plan, know what you're playing at, and I didn't have it here," said Swiatek. "I thought that thanks to the confidence with which I arrived, I was going to feel better on grass. I'm leaving a bit disappointed, but I hope to get along with grass one day."
She had a feeling her long streak would end at Wimbledon, which turned out to be prophetic, as the top seed endured her first defeat in five months.
"I'm usually hard on myself when I lose, but I knew this was coming and I had a feeling it would happen in this tournament, said the Pole. "From the first training sessions I didn't look good. ... Maybe it would have been good to play more matches earlier (on grass), but after Roland Garros I felt like I needed a break."
By winning her Wimbledon opener on Tuesday, Iga Swiatek broke Venus Williams' record for the longest win streak by a woman player this century. Despite her impressive streak coming to a tame end on Saturday, Swiatek remains the player to beat on the women's tour.
"I know I haven't played well" - Iga Swiatek
Dissecting the reasons for her defeat, Iga Swiatek said that she traded her aggression for accuracy, which came back to bite her.
The Pole's groundstrokes lacked the usual venom, allowing Cornet to dictate proceedings as Swiatek was unexpectedly forced to play second fiddle.
"I know I haven't played well. What has led me to success this season was being very aggressive on the court, looking for the point at all times and taking the initiative, but here I feel like I can't control the ball well," Swiatek said.
"Today I started bad and decided to slow down my shots, at least not make as many unforced errors. What I ended up doing is pushing the ball, I gained some solidity, but my shots didn't hurt. I had been in the mentality of attacking, (but) it has been very difficult for me to ... play consistently without being too passive," she added.
Thread complete 🧵
Thanks for taking us along on an incredible run, @iga_swiatek 💜 https://t.co/dxQjbFt25W
Iga Swiatek will now try to string together another streak while Cornet faces Ajla Tomlanovic on Monday as she seeks her second Major quarterfinal.