Down goes Wimbledon top-seed Iga Swiatek: Three quick takeaways

Iga Swiatek made it further in Wimbledon than she had previously done, but she lost on Tuesday to Elina Svitolina in three sets. Svitolina took the match 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2.

Svitolina has become a bit of a fan favorite at Wimbledon due to her home country, Ukraine, being involved in a war with Russia. But she’s also made a speedy return from taking some time off after having a child last year. She’s playing well enough to win the tournament currently.

But where does Swiatek go from here? How good can she be in the all-time rankings? And who is next for Svitolina? Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s match.

Three quick takeaways from Iga Swiatek’s loss to Elina Svitolina

Takeaway No. 1: Swiatek likely gained confidence this tournament

While ranked number 1 on the WTA tour for more than a year, Swiatek still hasn’t won a tournament on grass. She was playing well in her run-up tournament to Wimbledon, the Bad Hamburg Open. But she had to pull out of that tournament with illness. On Tuesday, she simply was outperformed by Svitolina.

Still, for a player as good as Swiatek it is likely just a matter of time before she masters grass-court tournaments as well. She’s just 22 years old with years of tennis ahead of her and every year she seems a bit better on grass. Maybe Wimbledon 2024 will be her year.

Takeaway No. 2: Svitolina has already exceeded expectations

It’s not like Svitolina is a bad player, but she entered Wimbledon as a Wild Card. She was once ranked number 3. But she hadn’t beaten a World No. 1 since she defeated Simona Halep in 2018. Fitness may have also been a question for Svitolina after taking time off last year and only returned in April.

But you wouldn’t have guessed there were any issues in her 2-hour and 50-minute victory over Swiatek. Both players didn’t seem to tire, but Svitolina’s play got even better in the third set. Next, she will face unseeded Marketa Vondrousova on Thursday in the semifinals. Vondrousova defeated American Jessica Pegula 6-4 2-6 6-4 on Tuesday.

Takeaway No. 3: The women’s semis are going to be great

No matter who makes up the other half of the semifinals on the women’s side, it will be a seeded player. On Wednesday, 25th-seed Madison Keys plays second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka while sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur plays third-seeded Elena Rybakina. Any one of those players, along with Svitolina and Vondrousova have a chance to win the tournament. Basically, Thursday is must-watch TV if you are a tennis fan.