Iga Swiatek has barely broken a sweat at Wimbledon heading into her third-round match with unseeded Yulia Putintseva on Saturday.
The world No. 1 dispatched Petra Martic in her comfortable round two win, while her next opponent got the better of Katerina Siniakova in three sets following her tournament-opening victory over 2018 champion Angelique Kerber.
Match preview
Swiatek went into her second-round match against Martic leading her head-to-head against the Croatian 3-0 and the Polish star extended that sequence to four, clinching a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over the world No. 85.
The top seed may have had no pre-Wimbledon tournament to prep for the third Slam of the year, but that has not influenced acclimating to the surface, notching routine victories in rounds one and two.
Her latest triumph sees her make the third round for an 18th consecutive major, one behind Steffi Graf (19) but significantly adrift of Martina Navratilova (35), Conchita Martinez (30) and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (25).
It was also her 21st consecutive win across multiple surfaces, a sequence of victories for the women's world No. 1 since Serena Williams won over 20 matches as the top-ranked player from late 2014 to mid-2015, and Swiatek aims to make hers 22.
The five-time Grand Slam champion has reason to be confident ahead of Saturday's round three match, having typically dispatched her opponent with ease in previous meetings.
While the precedent will not be lost on Putintseva, the Kazakhstani will hope to show something different as she seeks to finally end her Swiatek hoodoo and reach the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time.
The 29-year-old reached her maiden third round with Thursday's round two win over Siniakova in three sets, securing success in a 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 victory over the No. 27 seed.
This is already a successful run at the All England Club after suffering round-one losses in consecutive years and three round-two exits in her previous appearances in the lead-up to this year.
It also counts as the 29-year-old's deepest run in a major this year following a tournament-opening defeat Down Under and a second-round elimination at the French Open.
Nevertheless, Putintseva has reason to back herself to end her losing run against Swiatek after heading into their imminent match-up on a seven-match winning streak, including recent grass-court success in Birmingham, clinching her third Tour-level title dropping one set in five matches.
Tournament so far
Iga Swiatek:
First round: vs. Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-4
Second round: vs. Petra Martic 6-4 6-3
Yulia Putintseva:
First round: vs. Angelique Kerber 7-5 6-3
Second round: vs. Katerina Siniakova 6-0 4-6 6-2
Head To Head
Ostrava (2021) - Round of 16: Swiatek 6-4 6-4
United Cup (2023) - Group Stage: Swiatek 6-1 6-3
Indian Wells (2024) - Round of 16: Swiatek 6-1 6-2
Rome (2024) - Round of 32: Swiatek 6-3 6-4
Swiatek's dominance in this match-up has seen her claim four wins in their meetings without dropping a set.
There have been two meetings on Tour in 2024 at Indian Wells and Rome, with the Polish star winning 6-1, 6-2 in the former on hard courts and 6-3, 6-4 in Italy.
However, Putintseva has dropped just two sets during this outstanding seven-game streak on grass, even if Swiatek dropping none since Naomi Osaka pushed her to three sets at Roland Garros underscores her consistent brilliance.
We say: Swiatek to win in three sets
While Swiatek defeating Putintseva for a fifth time in five seems the likely outcome, the Polish star may be pushed to three sets by her in-form opponent for the first time.
The easy bet undoubtedly is for the top-ranked player to win in two, but the Kazakhstani has arguably never been in this sort of form before facing the world No. 1, and that should count for something against an opponent that has dominated this match-up.
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