Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 5, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her third round match against Danielle Collins of the U.S. REUTERS/Toby Melville
LONDON (Reuters) -Poland's Iga Swiatek strode imperiously into the fourth round at Wimbledon on Saturday, with a dominant 6-2 6-3 win over Danielle Collins and said she felt the balls were listening to her this year.
The former world number one broke the 31-year-old American's serve in the third game of the Centre Court match to set the tone, adding another break in the fifth and wrapping up the set with a big serve.
"I was in the zone and I knew that I had to be brave," Swiatek said in a courtside interview.
She said she had never felt so comfortable playing on grass.
"I had practices where the ball was listening to me," she said. "Today was a good day and it is a new experience feeling good on this surface."
It was Swiatek's eighth victory over Collins, but the American beat her most recently at the Italian Open in May.
"I tried to play fast because you can't let Danielle play her winners. I am really happy with my consistency at the moment," Swiatek, who described herself as "an intense person", added.
In contrast Collins looked out of sorts. She slipped twice on the grass and racked up 25 unforced errors as the 24-year-old Pole intensified the pressure.
Collins offered some moments of resistance through her own powerful serve and swinging backhand but she failed to find her range against her determined opponent.
Despite winning five Grand Slams, Swiatek, now ranked fourth in the world, has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals here but said she was having much more fun this year.
"If the ball is listening to me, I don't need to do much. I try to be aggressive and I am moving a lot better here."
Swiatek claimed victory in confident style after one hour and 15 minutes on Collins's serve with a forehand winner to set up a clash with Denmark's Clara Tauson, seeded 23, in the fourth round on Monday.
(Reporting by Clare Lovell; editing by Clare Fallon)
