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Swiatek breaks: Anisimova 0-1 Swiatek* (*denotes next server)<\/strong><\/p>\n Anisimova has the honour of getting the 131st Wimbledon<\/a> women\u2019s final under way. But it\u2019s an inauspicious start for the 13th seed in her first grand slam final, as she drops 0-30 down. And then 0-40, with a meek forehand into the net. That looked very nervy. Anisimova steadies herself a little by getting into a longer rally, setting it up on her favoured backhand side, before drilling away a forehand winner. That\u2019ll shake off some tension. But a wild forehand on the second break point and Swiatek, in her sixth grand slam final having won the previous five, strikes early with the break!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Britain\u2019s Oliver Bonding and his American partner Jagger Leach<\/strong>, the son of former champ Lindsay Davenport, have lost in the boys\u2019 doubles final, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 10-5, to Oskari Paldanius and Alan Wazny.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s so much excited chatter on Centre Court I can\u2019t even hear who won the coin toss,<\/strong> though I can tell you that Swiatek, a bundle of energy with her jumping on the spot and practice swings, looks very up for this. The players start warming up. \u201cIs strawberry jam any stranger than apple sauce, orange sauce, plum sauce on roast meat?\u201d muses Marlon Andre Seton.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.08 EDT<\/p>\n They arrive on court just after the clock strikes 4pm<\/strong>, a sentence I\u2019ve never written before on women\u2019s final day. It\u2019s boiling, about 29C. Another sentence I\u2019ve never typed before on women\u2019s final day. But some traditions don\u2019t change, as a youngster is invited on to court to perform the coin toss. Today the honour goes to 12-year-old Sophie Kneen, who\u2019s representing AFC Wimbledon<\/a> Foundation and its efforts to increase female participation in sport.<\/p>\n The crowd applauds as Iga Swiatek (right) and Amanda Anisimova walk out on to Centre Court. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.13 EDT<\/p>\n Here they come, the players weaving and winding their way through the corridors of the All England Club,<\/strong> walking past pictures of former great champions, but Swiatek, headphones on as always, has got her head down. Anisimova pauses for a second to take in her surroundings. What a moment for both of them in their first Wimbledon<\/a> final.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Swiatek\u2019s love of strawberry pasta has got me thinking about the strangest meals athletes eat (or any of us for that matter)<\/strong>. If you\u2019d like to serve up anything, you can get in touch here<\/a>. My offering: my mother-in-law putting strawberry jam on her roast dinners.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHi Katy,\u201d emails Carrie Ilbrey<\/strong>. \u201cNot the final I wanted, but nonetheless I\u2019m looking forward to a cracker. I reckon this is Iga\u2019s big chance. Jazda Iga!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A huge cheer as the Princess of Wales arrives in the Royal Box<\/strong> \u2013 she\u2019ll also be presenting the Venus Rosewater Dish to the winner. The box is also jam packed with Wimbledon<\/a> champions, including Conchita Martinez, Navratilova and BJK \u2013 who\u2019ve both hot-footed it up there after their turn on the BBC.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019ve still got five minutes until the players appear, so let\u2019s talk tactics.<\/strong> Swiatek is all about her spin and vicious forehand \u2013 Anisimova is all about her destructive power and huge backhand. Anisimova, with her big, flat, early ball-striking, will know she\u2019s the kind of player that Swiatek can sometimes struggle against on the faster surfaces, and getting the first strike in and taking time away from Swiatek will be key for the American, even when she\u2019s feeling the nerves in her first slam final. Swiatek tends to produce her best tennis when it matters the most: she\u2019s 5-0 in grand slam finals (with only one of those going to three sets) and won\u2019t mind the pressure of being the favourite.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The BBC is screening emotional montages about Anisimova\u2019s career-saving break<\/strong> from tennis to protect her mental health and about how Swiatek never thought she\u2019d be able to conquer the grass of Wimbledon<\/a>. Jeez, I\u2019ve already got a tear in my eye and they haven\u2019t even got going yet. Johnny Mac then appears to say he picked Anisimova about 10 days ago to win Wimbledon and is sticking by his prediction. \u201cShe\u2019s got the bigger game,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.53 EDT<\/p>\n The head-to-head. <\/strong>I mentioned they\u2019ve not played each other before in the senior ranks (Swiatek and Anisimova that is, definitely not Chrissy, Martina and BJK), despite being born only three months apart, but they did meet as 15-year-old whippersnappers in the 2016 Junior Fed Cup, when Swiatek won in straight sets.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The BBC has brought out the big guns for the final.<\/strong> Chrissy Evert is going for Swiatek to win. Martina Navratilova seems to agree. And Billie Jean King talks about how much it would mean to Swiatek to win grand slam titles on all three surfaces; it certainly was hugely self-affirming to her when she did it in the 1970s, she says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPoland has gone completely Wimbledon<\/a> (and strawberry pasta) mad<\/strong>, with one news channel showing a live cooking class on how to prepare a perfect makaron z truskawkami (with a Michelin-starred chef, no less) to get ready and cheer Swiatek on during the final today,\u201d reports our Europe blogger Jakub Krupa, who\u2019s also helped to serve up this delight on Swiatek\u2019s favourite dish and much more:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.48 EDT<\/p>\n Swiatek says:<\/strong><\/p>\n I never dreamed it would be possible to play in this final \u2026 I\u2019m super proud of myself. Tennis keeps surprising me. Every slam final has been totally different. It\u2019s hard to compare these journeys. For now I am enjoying this new feeling of being more comfortable on grass.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Anisimova says:<\/strong><\/p>\n 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. That was a little hard to digest because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a grand slam one day. I think it goes to show that it is possible. Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself has been incredibly special to me.<\/p>\n Iga is such an unbelievable player, but she\u2019s also been an inspiration to me. Hopefully I can bring some high quality tennis and make it a battle out there. I\u2019m going to go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what\u2019s on the line.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Road to the final. <\/strong>When Anisimova whitewashed Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-0 in the first round, perhaps we should have known she was going to do something special this fortnight. She dealt well with the pressure of being the favourite in every round until the semi-finals, where she dealt even better with the world No 1 Sabalenka. Swiatek, meanwhile, hasn\u2019t dropped a set since the second round, gaining confidence and momentum as the rounds have gone by on a surface that had previously befuddled her.<\/p>\n Anisimova Swiatek Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tale of the tape<\/strong><\/p>\n Swiatek – Anisimova Share<\/a><\/p>\n And here\u2019s our match report on the history makers Cash and Glasspool:<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s our tennis correspondent Tumaini\u2019s preview of the women\u2019s final:<\/strong><\/p>\n And his superb interview with Anisimova on her tennis timeout:<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n There was defeat earlier, however, for Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid in the men\u2019s wheelchair doubles final.<\/strong> The six-times champions were beaten 7-6, 7-5 by Spain\u2019s Martin de la Puente and the Netherlands\u2019 Ruben Spaargaren. Another Brit, Gregory Slade, lost in straight sets in the quad wheelchair doubles final, while the 18-year-old Oliver Bonding is partnering Jagger Leach, the son of the 1999 women\u2019s champion Lindsay Davenport, in the boys\u2019 doubles final. They\u2019re a set up, 7-5, against Finland\u2019s Oskari Paldanius and Poland\u2019s Alan Wazny.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.01 EDT<\/p>\n The moment of victory.<\/strong><\/p>\n Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool are the 2025 Gentlemen’s Doubles Champions! \ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n With a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory over Rinky Hijikata and David Pel, the pair become the first all-British team to win a Grand Slam men\u2019s doubles title since 1936 \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7<\/p>\n A sensational run at #Wimbledon<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/M2Lnc2mB0k<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And here come the champions.<\/strong> \u201cThere was a lot of pressure on our shoulders going into this event, the fact we could do it was so surreal,\u201d says Cash. \u201cWe had two goals this year \u2013 one was to make it [to the season-ending event in] Turin, another was to win a slam. A lot of people probably wouldn\u2019t have believed us. Our team backed us the whole way. To do it here \u2013 it couldn\u2019t mean more. Playing doubles you\u2019re not always on the biggest court, so to play on the biggest and most special court in the world, to do it here? Incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Glasspool, he says: \u201cWe\u2019ve given you one British champion [Henry Patten won the Wimbledon<\/a> men\u2019s doubles title last year with Finland\u2019s Harri Heliovaara], but now we\u2019ve given you two.\u201d<\/p>\n Julian Cash (right) and Lloyd Glasspool (left) wave to the crowd as they hold their Gentlemen’s Doubles trophies. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.39 EDT<\/p>\n The runners-up speak.<\/strong> \u201cIt was our first time speaking on the first day of the tournament,\u201d says Pel. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing actually.\u201d Hijikata adds: \u201cIt\u2019s been a crazy ride. It\u2019s been so much fun playing with David. It\u2019s a dream come true to be playing out here on Centre Court.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GB’s Cash and Glasspool win men’s doubles title<\/p>\n Currently on Centre Court:<\/strong> wonderful scenes as Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool celebrate adding their names to the annals of Wimbledon<\/a>, becoming the first British pair to win the men\u2019s doubles title in 89 years. So it\u2019s been an even longer wait than from Fred Perry in 1936 to Andy Murray in 2013 in the men\u2019s singles. Glasspool and Cash defeated David Pel and Rinky Hijikata, 6-2, 7-6 (3), the Dutch-Australian pairing who hadn\u2019t even met each other before this year\u2019s tournament. What a way for finals weekend to begin.<\/p>\n Lloyd Glasspool (left) looks on as Julian Cash flings a forehand to Rinky Hijikata (second right) and David Pel. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianCash celebrates his and Lloyd Glasspool\u2019s victory. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.00 EDT<\/p>\n Preamble<\/p>\n What a difference five weeks can make. Last month Iga Swiatek<\/a>, overwhelmed by her own doubts, relinquished the French Open crown she\u2019d held since 2022. Her aura of invincibility was shot to pieces. She\u2019d already lost her world No 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka towards the end of last season after testing positive for a substance she\u2019d inadvertently taken in a contaminated medicine; while she was banned for only one month, the mental toll had lasted for much longer. And as she left Paris, having failed to reach a final in 12 months, let alone win a title, it\u2019s fair to say she was at a career low.<\/p>\n Some questioned (me included) if the Pole would ever win another slam; parallels were even drawn with Bjorn Borg\u2019s sudden demise after his period of Wimbledon<\/a> domination ended in 1981. He retired 18 months later aged 26, burnt out and disillusioned, having lost his relentless will to win. Was Swiatek, at the age of 24, in danger of going the same way? Certainly in the short-term no one expected her to do much at Wimbledon, given that the former Queen of Clay had always been among the mere ranks on grass, having never been beyond the quarter-finals, despite her status as a junior champion in 2018.<\/p>\n But thanks to a grass-court training camp in Mallorca and a confidence-building run to the Bad Homburg final, and fuelled by a Wimbledon diet of strawberries and cream pasta<\/a>, she has grabbed every opportunity (and towel<\/a>) that has come her way this fortnight as the players in her half of the draw \u2013 most notably Coco Gauff and the former champ Elena Rybakina \u2013 departed. At last, Swiatek says, the balls are listening to her on the grass. She looks happy and relaxed. She\u2019s shown more of her personality in the on-court interviews. And she goes into this final as the favourite.<\/p>\n But Amanda Anisimova is enjoying an empowering revival of her own. Having come within a few games of reaching the French Open final as a 17-year-old prodigy in 2019, the American took an eight-month break from the game in 2023 because of burnout. She didn\u2019t even get through Wimbledon qualifying last year. But she held her nerve brilliantly against Aryna Sabalenka in Friday\u2019s semi-final<\/a>, displaying courage every bit as big as her shots.<\/p>\n She wants this just as much as Swiatek does; victory would be so self-affirming for either. I wish they could split it, but I\u2019m not sure the All England Club would countenance the beautiful Venus Rosewater Dish being cut in half. Add into the mix they\u2019ve never played each other before on tour, and that makes this unexpected final even more intriguing.<\/p>\n Play begins: <\/strong>in a departure from tradition at <\/strong>4pm BST. And remember you can get in touch in the usual way<\/a>. It would be great to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/strong>First round def Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-0
Second round def Renata Zarazua 6-4, 6-3
Third round def Dalma Galfi 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
Fourth round def Linda Noskova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Quarter-final def Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6
Semi-final def Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4<\/p>\n
<\/strong>First round def Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-1
Second round def Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
Third round def Danielle Collins 6-2, 6-3
Fourth round def Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-1
Quarter-final def Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5
Semi-final def Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0<\/p>\n
<\/strong>24 Age<\/strong> 23
4 Seeding<\/strong> 13
4 World ranking<\/strong> 12
5 Grand slam titles<\/strong> 0
5 Grand slam finals (before today)<\/strong> 0
22 Singles titles<\/strong> 3
0 Wimbledon finals<\/strong> 0
0 Head-to-head<\/strong> 0<\/p>\n\n