Swiatek advances at Wimbledon, says pressure is off

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — An avid reader, Iga Swiatek knows how to contextualize her Wimbledon experiences.

Her third-round exit last year after winning the French Open was a disappointment. The top-ranked Swiatek cleared that hurdle Friday at the All England Club, dispatching 30th-seeded Petra Martic 6-2, 7-5 to reach the fourth round.

“It’s just a totally different chapter,” the 22-year-old Pole said.

The four-time Grand Slam champion can reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal when she faces 14th-seeded Belinda Bencic on Sunday.

Swiatek has said she felt a lot of pressure last year from high expectations and the 35-match winning streak she carried into Wimbledon.

“I do feel more relaxed. I think also because I won Roland Garros and I feel like after that the pressure is a little bit off because I reached my goal kind of for the season,” she said. “I don’t have to think about anything else other than playing. ... I feel like I have more kind of, I don’t know, free space in my head to develop my game and to work on my skills on grass."

Unlike the men's side, where seven-time winner Novak Djokovic is a heavy favorite, the women's field is tougher to handicap.

The top three seeds — Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Elena Rybakina — are showing signs of becoming a “ Big Three.”

Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion who was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2021, advanced to the third round with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva.

Madison Keys, who beat Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round, said the “Big Three” title is deserved.

“They are obviously at the top of the game right now, so I think it’s a great term to describe the three of them,” said the American, who is seeded 25th.

After the top three seeds, there's No. 4 Jessica Pegula, who advanced to the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Caroline Garcia of France became the highest-seeded woman to exit. The fifth-seeded player lost 7-6 (0), 4-6, 7-5 to 32nd-seeded Marie Bouzkova in the third round.