LONDON, July 12, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova clash in 
the Wimbledon final on Saturday with a new women's champion guaranteed for 
the eighth consecutive year.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek had previously never gone beyond the 
quarter-finals at the All England Club while US 13th seed Anisimova is 
preparing for her first major final.

No player has retained the crown since the now-retired Serena Williams won 
her seventh and final Wimbledon title in 2016.

Aryna Sabalenka started as the hot favourite after reaching the past three 
Grand Slam finals but faltered in a gripping semi-final against Anisimova.

Poland's Swiatek is seeded eighth at Wimbledon following a disappointing 
first half of the season, though she is back up to fourth in the rankings 
after reaching the final of the grass-court Bad Homburg tournament.

That run, together with her surge through the draw at All England Club, 
suggests the 24-year-old is cured of her grass-court allergy.

Initially she went under the radar at Wimbledon, with the focus on Sabalenka 
and French Open champion Coco Gauff, but she kept winning while the top seeds 
tumbled, dropping just one set on route to the final.

Swiatek brushed aside former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in 
Thursday's semi-final.

Four of her five Grand Slam titles have come on the clay of Roland Garros and 
she won the 2022 US Open on hard courts.

But she is finally showing an affinity with the lawns of Wimbledon, a 
development that has shocked even her.

"Honestly, I never even dreamed that it's going to be possible for me to play 
in the final," Swiatek said.

"So I'm just super-excited and proud of myself and, I don't know, tennis 
keeps surprising me.

"I've been enjoying just this new feeling of being a bit more comfortable on 
grass."

Swiatek has won all five of her Grand Slam finals, but standing in the way of 
a sixth major title and a cheque for o3 million ($4 million) is Anisimova.

- Mental health break -

The 23-year-old American shattered Sabalenka's title bid with a shock 6-4, 4-
6, 6-4 win on Thursday.

Anisimova has overcome many obstacles to make her maiden Grand Slam final.

She reached the French Open semi-finals in 2019 at the age of just 17.

But in 2023 she took an eight-month break from the court for mental health 
reasons, tumbling out the top 400.

This time last year, she was on the comeback trail but was ranked too low to 
get into the Wimbledon main draw and fell in qualifying.

"If you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe 
you. It's indescribable to be honest," she said.

Anisimova, whose parents emigrated from Russia in the 1990s, added: "I think 
it goes to show that it is possible.

"I think that's a really special message that I think I've been able to show 
because when I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never 
make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game."

Anisimova won the Qatar Open in February and showed she was comfortable on 
grass by reaching the Queen's Club final in June.

She is guaranteed to reach the top 10 for the first time when the rankings 
are updated on Monday.

The two players have never met professionally, though they did face each 
other as juniors, with Swiatek coming out on top.

"I did lose that match against her, unfortunately," said Anisimova. "I 
remember a lot of coaches were saying that she's going to be a big deal one 
day. Obviously they were right.

"I'm sure it will be an amazing match. Getting to compete against an 
unbelievable player again is going to be super special."