In an already difficult year for Iga Świątek, this may be the toughest loss of them all — a 7-6(9), 6-2 defeat against Alexandra Eala on Centre Court to give up her crown.
When the tour rankings update a week on Monday, Świątek will be out of the world’s top 10 for the first time since May 2021.
Świątek was furious with herself and seemingly her team as she left the court following the first set’s conclusion.
Her main coach Francisco Roig appeared to say to her that “she is not beating you, you are losing,” and the match continued along that path.
A recurring theme for Świątek this year has been spiraling when things start to go badly, and so there was concern at how she would respond to losing a set that she could easily have won.
In a 10-minute final game, there was still time for some donations from Świątek. A few points later and Eala was collapsed on her back in celebration.
A star was born on Centre Court, while one of the biggest in the sport is faced with rediscovering her shine.