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WOMEN'S DAY 8 WRAP: Andreeva, Bencic, Swiatek and Samsonova into quarterfinals

football07 July 2025 19:26| © Reuters
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Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva powered her way into her first Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 6-2 6-3 win over American 10th seed Emma Navarro on Monday, becoming the youngest player in the last eight of the women's singles since 2005.

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The 18-year-old looked at home on Centre Court, using her booming serve, regularly above 110 miles per hour, and power from the baseline to book a meeting with Swiss Belinda Bencic in the next round.

In doing so she matches the feat of compatriot Maria Sharapova in 2005 at the exact same age - 18 years and 62 days at the start of the tournament.

With a light breeze swirling around the showcourt, Andreeva took an early break in the match thanks to a fine backhand past her 24-year-old opponent who was looking to reach a second successive quarterfinal at the All England Club.

Navarro struggled to return the Russian's serve, with Andreeva not giving up any points on her first serve throughout the first set.

The American surrendered another break by hitting into the net from a fierce Andreeva forehand for 4-1.

Navarro saved two set points but Andreeva converted the third courtesy of another unreturnable serve, taking the lead in the match after little more than half an hour of play.

The second set brought an upturn in form for Navarro as the pair traded breaks and continued to slug it out from the baseline.

However, Andreeva held on to a break advantage over her opponent and executed a beautifully weighted lob on her way to bringing up three match points.

The teenager needed only one thanks to a fortunate net cord but had obviously lost track of the score as she lined up at the baseline again before apologising and running to the net to shake hands with her beaten opponent.

"Honestly, I kept telling myself I was facing break point and was trying to tell myself I'm not the one who is up on the score, I'm the one who is down and in the end I completely forgot the score. I happy I did it, otherwise I would have been three times more nervous on my match point," she said on court.

"I felt like my serve was not bad today... happy that (coach) Conchita (Martinez) gives me nice advice and my serve keeps working," added Andreeva.

BENCIC DOWNS ALEXANDROVA TO BREAK FOURTH-ROUND BARRIER

Switzerland's Bencic reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in nine attempts on, dismissing 18th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4) 6-4 in just under two hours on a breezy Court One.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, 28, shed tears after she finally broke the fourth-round barrier 15 months after giving birth to her daughter Bella and said she felt very proud of herself.

But she needed six match points to down 30-year-old Alexandrova, who just last month beat Bencic with the loss of only three games at the Den Bosch grasscourt tournament in the Netherlands.

Bencic, who has been knocked out in the fourth round here three times before, said she turned the tide by being more courageous.

"I think I tried to be more brave. I had more matches under my belt and it turned out better than the last time I played her," she said.

"I always got stuck in the fourth round. It was so important for me to break through to the quarterfinals," she added.

Alexandrova, who has also never passed the fourth round at the All England Club, blew hot and cold in the first set, dropping two service games before turning on the aggression, improving her second serve and fighting back to force a tiebreak.

But Bencic, calm and businesslike, won four points in a row in the tiebreak and sealed the set after an hour and one minute when Alexandrova sent a backhand long.

Bencic broke Alexandrova's serve in the eighth game of the second set but was unable to capitalise when serving for the match in a mammoth eight-deuce game that lasted some 15 minutes and during which the Russian saved five match points.

But Bencic came fighting back on the Russian's serve with a forehand winner for a sixth match point, converting it when Alexandrova put a forehand long.

The Swiss, ranked 35 but a former world number four, was one of nine mothers in the draw, but the only one to reach the fourth round. She gave birth in April last year and was back playing competitively within six months even reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open in January 2025.

"I'm really proud of myself and the whole team. We did an amazing job coming back," she said.

"It's amazing to share the memories together as a family. I'm enjoying it more. I juggle it like every mum does."

NO SWEAT FOR SWIATEK 

Polish eighth seed Iga Swiatek reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for just the second time with a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson.

Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam winner, has never made the Wimbledon final.

But the 24-year-old is in a strong position in the second week of the tournament after the exit of so many of the top seeds.

In the last eight, Swiatek will face Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who beat Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5 to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

"Honestly it's pretty amazing. It's the first time I really enjoyed London. Sorry guys!" Swiatek said of her previous Wimbledon woes.

"We are tennis players, so we feel well off the court when we feel well on the court."

Swiatek has lost in the semifinals of both the Australian and French Opens this year.

But world number one Aryna Sabalenka is the only one of the top six women's seeds still standing.

Although Swiatek has reached only one All England Club quarter-final, she made the Bad Homburg final on grass recently and also won the Wimbledon junior title.

Following her run at Bad Homburg, Swiatek admitted playing on grass had never been easy for her as she said "maybe there is hope for me" on the surface.

Despite her grass-court fears, the former world number one is three wins away from adding the Wimbledon trophy to her four French Open crowns and one US Open title.

Swiatek's cause was helped by Tauson's struggles on Court One as the Dane complained about the slippier court and called for a medical time-out between sets.

"Clara said at the net she wasn't feeling well. I hope she is going to be fine," Swiatek said.

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