Swiatek inflicts 6-0 6-0 defeat on Anisimova to win Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek has added Wimbledon to her four French Open titles and one US Open victory

Poland's Iga Swiatek ruthlessly took advantage of American opponent Amanda Anisimova's nerves to win her maiden Wimbledon title, with the 6-0 6-0 victory taking just 57 minutes.

Swiatek, 24, was also playing in her first final at the All England Club but looked more assured from the very start.

No woman had won a Wimbledon with a double bagel - the name given to a victory without dropping a game - since 1911.

It is the sixth Grand Slam victory of Swiatek's career, having won on each of her appearances in major finals.

"It seems super surreal," said Swiatek, whose five previous titles came on clay or hard courts.

"Honestly, I didn't even dream of winning Wimbledon because it was way too far.

"I feel like I'm an experienced player, having won other Slams, but I didn't expect this."

Eighth seed Swiatek drew on all of her greater experience to race through the first set in just 25 minutes.

Anisimova, just three months younger than Swiatek, looked tense from the very start and made a flurry of errors in an opener where she won just nine points.

Despite a sympathetic Centre Court crowd willing her on, things did not improve in the second set for the 13th seed.

A total of 28 unforced errors, plus five double faults, starkly illustrated Anisimova's struggles.

Fighting back the tears as she addressed the crowd, Anisimova said: "It's been an incredible fortnight for me - even though I ran out of gas.

"I wish I could have put on a better performance for you today."

Swiatek becomes an all-court great

If Swiatek had not already proved she should be ranked among the greats of the game, she has certainly done so now.

Mastering a surface considered her weakest – even though she won the Wimbledon junior title in 2018 – has added further credibility to her case.

Swiatek has become the youngest woman since 23-time champion Serena Williams in 2002 to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces.

A sixth major takes her clear of Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis, with only a total of 10 women now having won more in the Open era.

Swiatek became known as the 'Queen of Clay' after winning four French Open titles in five years, while her two-year reign as the world number one - ended by Aryna Sabalenka last year - was underpinned by consistent success on the hard courts.

Grass was the surface she had not cracked.

Before this triumph, Swiatek had made the second week at the All England Club only once, when she reached the quarter-finals in 2023.

Losing in this year's Roland Garros semi-finals – early by her previous standards – meant she had longer to prepare on the surface, helping her quickly readjust improve her confidence and game.

Anisimova's struggles meant Swiatek was not fully tested. Nevertheless, the weight and depth of the Pole's ball provided constant pressure which her opponent could not deal with.

Anisimova's inspiring Wimbledon journey ends

While it was a chastening experience for Anisimova in her first major final, it had been an encouraging and inspiring journey to get there.

The big-hitting American has been tipped as a future Grand Slam champion since she was a teenager and reached the 2019 French Open semi-finals as a 17-year-old.

Later that year, the sudden death of her father Konstantin – who was also her coach - contributed to her falling out of love with tennis.

Four years later, Anisimova took a break for her mental health and spent about seven months off the tour.

This time last year she was trying to avoid watching Wimbledon as she had lost in the third round of qualifying while ranked 191st in the world.

But, having climbed back to the verge of the top 10, she has reminded the world of her obvious talent, particularly against world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.

Anisimova was far below her best against Swiatek, however. In the warm-up she looked tense and it showed in the opening points of the match.

Rushing into her shots, Anisimova's groundstrokes were loose and Swiatek continued to take time away from her.

Afterwards, Anisimova revealed she did not practise on Friday because she felt "really fatigued" and also had to take regular breaks during her pre-final warm-up on Saturday.

"If anything, it's my physicality that I need to work on," she said.

"To be able to last two weeks in a Grand Slam is definitely something that you need to work a lot on. It's not an easy feat."

'Special moment' for Swiatek but Anisimova 'froze'

Three-time Wimbledon singles champion John McEnroe on BBC TV: "Everyone is in a state of shock. Nobody saw Swiatek being this good on this surface.

"She played against someone who absolutely froze and I feel terrible for Anisimova.

"Well deserved for Iga."

Two-time Grand Slam champion Tracy Austin, on BBC TV: "A special moment for Swiatek and her team. I did not see this coming at the beginning of the tournament.

"You have got to hand it to Iga. She went about a tactical way to conquer grass and made it look so easy."

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, on BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's an incredible story for Anisimova to be in the final in the first place.

"It's a fantastic effort and she has to look back at that. Iga played really well and the balls weren't dropping for Amanda. It was a masterclass in what to do in a final. It was a great tournament for her."