Wimbledon Final WTA: Can the amazing Anisimova stop the Swiatek storm?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Iga Swiatek: Seeking sensational sixth Grand Slam title in SW19
For an eighth straight year, a new WTA Wimbledon champion is certain to be crowned, and you can check out our Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova prediction for all our in-depth analysis ahead of the blockbuster showdown on Saturday afternoon.
Former world number one Swiatek will step out on Centre Court on Saturday in search of her sixth career Grand Slam but only her first at any level since her triumph at the French Open back in 2024.
The Pole moved up four places from eighth in the rankings ahead of the competition following a runner-up result at Bad Homburg, and if she goes on to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish this weekend, she is projected to rise to third overall.
While Swiatek has often downplayed her grass-court chances at tour-level, she certainly seems to have found her confidence in SW19 after producing a stunning performance to beat Belinda Bencic in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 in the semi-final on Thursday evening.
Over the last two weeks, the 24-year-old has only dropped a single set, which was back in the second round to a familiar foe in Caty McNally, while she has also taken down three Top 35 players en route to the grandest stage of them all.
This will be the first professional meeting between these players, but they have crossed paths in the past, way back in the 2016 Junior Fed Cup Finals, where Swiatek secured the victory in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 in a battle of the top-ranked women’s youth players.
While still regarded as the “Queen of Clay,” Swiatek is now 9-1 on grass, which is her best year’s record on the surface in her career, and a 10th win will undoubtedly be the biggest and most memorable to the Polish star.
Amanda Anisimova: An American aiming for All England glory
Amanda Anisimova’s ascent over the last couple of years has been nothing short of inspirational. She was ranked 189th just less than a year ago and made only her first WTA 1000 final in August 2024 before clinching her first WTA 1000 title in Doha in February this year.
Since then, she has been grinding out results, most notably producing a runner-up showing on the grass of the Queen’s Club, where she came up just short to a former Wimbledon semi-finalist in Tatjana Maria. Still, the result got Anisimova into the Top 20 for the first time in her career.
Last year, the American failed to qualify for the main draw of Wimbledon, yet here she is, 12 months later, about to step into the final of the biggest Grand Slam event of the year as only the second player in the Open era to reach the women’s final after losing as a qualifier in the previous edition.
En route to the final, Anisimova downed former Top 20 player Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-0 in the first round, and while her next three matches were hard-fought battles, she earned her spot in Saturday’s showpiece in some style, stunning Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, which was here sixth win in nine against the world number one.
Now, the 23-year-old is hoping to become the first American woman to get her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish on Centre Court since Serena Williams in 2016, and if she does so, she will also become the youngest American to win the title since Williams in 2003.
Indeed, following Madison Keys’ triumph at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff’s sensational victory at Roland Garros, victory for Anisimova will also keep alive hopes of US women completing an “American Slam” of the four annual majors in 2025.
Key information:
Date: Saturday, July 12
Time: 16:00 (GMT)
Venue: Centre Court of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London
How to watch: BBC (UK), ESPN (US). You can also follow along live using our tennis livescore tool.
