Tennis: Iga Swiatek defeated by Putintseva in Wimbledon third round | Tennis News

The world’s best player continued her grass court nightmare at Wimbledon, where she lost in three sets to Yulia Putintseva.

Iga Swiatek has never been much for grass and hopes that Wimbledon would spark a blossoming love affair with the surface this year went up in smoke when the world number one was beaten 3-6 6-1 6-2 by Yulia Putintseva.

On paper, the fiery Kazakh No. 35 should have been an easy target for the top-seeded Swiatek on Saturday, who had not dropped a set in their four previous meetings and entered the match on a 21-match winning streak that included a fifth Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

But smooth grass courts are not Swiatek’s cup of tea and in the hectic atmosphere on court 1 Swiatek collapsed under the enormous pressure of Putintseva. After losing the first set she shook herself up and started an attacking barrage that the Pole could not contain.

Swiatek’s huge ground strokes, which had caused so much trouble in the season opener, were now met with interest, while the Pole’s movements suddenly seemed to slow down. Her feet had to wait a fraction of a second longer to adjust to the ball.

Putintseva broke twice in the second set and twice more in the third set before securing victory in three sets and facing Elena Ostapenko in the fourth round.

For Swiatek it was another disappointment at Wimbledon, where her performance last year until the quarterfinals is her best performance.

So it wasn’t as big a shock as it seemed. None of her 22 singles titles have come on grass, a surface on which she has never reached a final.