LONDON — Iga Swiatek says it was the fearlessness of young Filipina Alexandra Eala that brought her Wimbledon title defense to an abrupt end in the third round on Saturday, with the former champion now pledging to “trust the process” as she navigates a difficult stretch of form.
The defending champion fought hard through an opening set that lasted 84 minutes, only to lose it in a tiebreak. From there, Eala grew increasingly confident and ultimately pulled off the biggest upset of this year’s tournament.
Swiatek’s run at the French Open had already unraveled in May — a fourth-round loss to Marta Kostyuk that came on her 25th birthday. But she was quick to draw a distinction between that defeat and Saturday’s loss on grass.
“I don’t think it’s the same as in Paris. In Paris it was completely about me not handling the pressure well. I was firing shots,” Swiatek told reporters.
“Today… I was mis-hitting half of these returns. I lost many points. Maybe if I watch, I’m going to see something else.”
“I’m also happy how I came back in the tiebreaker, and also after being a break down in the first set because in Paris I’d just lose it straight.”
“I was there to fight. It wasn’t enough… in the tiebreak, when it was tight, I slowed down a bit, but she was brave enough to play a bit faster. You need to be brave in Wimbledon to win these points.”
The six-time major champion’s 2025 season has been defined by inconsistency. She exited in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Qatar, and Indian Wells, then suffered a second-round loss in Miami before enduring a rocky clay court season that ended in disappointment at Roland Garros. Her grass court warm-up was equally underwhelming, with an early exit in Bad Homburg ahead of Wimbledon.
Despite the string of setbacks, Swiatek says she has shifted her mindset away from chasing results.
“Well, you need to trust the process. I don’t care anymore about the results. I’ve been so focused on them that it’s hard to continue like that. So I’m trying to let it go,” she said.
“I don’t have good results, so I’m not going to expect for myself good results because they’re just not happening. I’m not on that level yet.”
“I need to work from the beginning and try to just get my tennis better.”
