by Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
The last time Iga Swiatek played on Centre Court at Wimbledon, she cried tears of joy as the Wimbledon women’s singles champion.
On her return to Centre Court in the first round in 2026, she cried tears of relief.
Struggling by her high standards, Switaek was able to nudge through a tough, three-set first-round match against craft lefty American Taylor Townsend to open up her defense of her crown at the All England Club.
What first looked like another edition of “Iga’s Bakery” with a first set breadstick (6-1), the match turned titanic as Townsend turned the tide 6-2 in the second set to set up the decider.
The deciding set provided some deep drama. It opened with a marathon, 21-minute first game where Świątek had to battle back from multiple break points down. While she managed to trade breaks Townsend Świątek’s trademark resilience returned in the crucial stages as she persisted to win the final set 6-3.
After the post-match handshake, Swiatek could be seen with tears in her eyes on her chair, relieved that she avoided the indignity of joining a short list of women’s champions to lose their opening match the next year.
Swiatek’s emotions returned during her post-match on-court interview as she explained her tears of relief.
“I’m not sure if I’m able to talk that much,” Swiatek said, almost trembling. “But it was a tough couple of weeks. Not a season where everything went how I wanted. I don’t think I won any three-set matches this year, so I’m happy I could do it. Obviously it means a lot to be the defending champion here. In the end I kept my composure. I knew I needed to be solid.”
Swiatek, who won the final last year by a 6-0. 6-0 margin over Amanda Anisimova, next faces former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.
