Iga Swiatek says she has surprised herself with her form on grass, and is now just one victory away from a first senior Wimbledon title.
The Pole has been growing in confidence all tournament and was calmness personified in her 6-2 6-0 semi-final victory over Belinda Bencic that lasted just 72 minutes.
The heat on the court came from the racket of Swiatek, who has somewhat improbably surged back to form on the lawns of the All England Club.
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It was, by her exceedingly lofty standards, a torrid campaign on her favoured clay for the 24-year-old but a run to the final of the grass-court tournament in Bad Homburg on the eve of Wimbledon appears to have been the catalyst.
That was the first final Swiatek had reached at any level since winning her fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open last spring, and now she is only one match away from matching Carlos Alcaraz by winning major trophies on each surface.
Swiatek won the girls' title here seven years ago but had never been beyond the quarter-finals in the main event until now and, asked if she had surprised herself, she said: "I did. Yeah, for sure.
"Honestly I never even dreamt it was going to be possible for me to play in the final. I'm just super excited. I thought I experienced everything on the court but I didn't experience playing well on grass.
"I feel confident and I'm just going for it. For sure it's working."
By not winning the French Open for the first time since 2021, Swiatek had more time to prepare on grass, and that groundwork has been paying off in style.
She denied feeling less pressure this year, saying: "I think I'm not going to have seasons where the pressure is not going to be kind of forced on me from the expectations from the outside anymore.
"Every year it's kind of the same, but I feel sometimes I can handle it better or ignore it. I think it's easier if you haven't won Roland Garros and also if you had more time to practise."
Anisimova: To be in Wimbledon final is indescribable
Given her extra experience at the latter stages of slams, and the fact she is yet to lose a final, Swiatek will go in as the favourite against American first-timer Amanda Anisimova, who nevertheless will bring a lot more firepower than Bencic.
Anisimova stunned world No 1 and title favourite Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 4-6 6-4 to reach the Wimbledon final just two years after walking away from the sport to prioritise her mental health.
"To come out on top and be in the final at Wimbledon is incredibly special," Anisimova said.
"To be honest if you told me then I'd be in the final at Wimbledon I would not believe you.
"To be in this spot is not easy. To be in the final is indescribable."
From Juniors to Grand Slam final
Their only meeting on court came nine years ago in the Junior Fed Cup, when Swiatek, who is three months older, emerged the winner.
"She was a great junior," said Anisimova. "I remember a lot of coaches were saying that she's going to be a big deal one day. Yeah, obviously they were right.
"Iga is such an unbelievable player. She's also been an inspiration to me. Her work ethic and all of her achievements have been really inspiring. I'm sure it will be an amazing match again.
"Getting to compete against an unbelievable player again is going to be super special. Hopefully I can bring some high-quality tennis and make it a battle out there. I'm just going to go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what's on the line there."
Swiatek is happy to see her former junior rival, who lost in qualifying here last year, back in the big time, saying: "Anybody who struggles and gets back at a better level deserves a lot of respect.
"For sure, Amanda is one of these players that kept going forwards in tough situations. I always wished her the best. Good job for her."
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