The relentless win machine that is Iga Swiatek is safely through at Wimbledon but only after recovering from a second-set stumble against Croatian qualifier Jana Fett on Tuesday.
Swiatek, the world No 1 and top seed at SW19, had the honour of opening the second day's play on Centre Court in the absence of the retired Ash Barty, who won the 2021 title.
After sailing through the first set without losing a game – her 17th 6-0 triumph this year – the Pole then found herself 3-1 down in the second to Fett, who is ranked 252nd in the world.
But Swiatek, who was knocked out in the fourth round at the All England Club last year, was not to be denied her 36th victory in a row as the 21-year-old reigning French Open champion recovered to seal a 6-0, 6-3 first-round win on Centre Court.
It's the longest winning streak on the women’s tour since 1997, when Martina Hingis won 37. Even with seven-time champion Serena Williams in the draw at the All England Club, Swiatek is the woman to beat.
She won five tournaments before heading to Paris in May, earning consecutive titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Rome.
“I am pleased it's my first match on grass this season so I knew it was going to be tricky,” said Swiatek in her on-court interview. “I am pretty happy I came back and did it in two sets. It's a new experience for me and pretty exciting.
“I'm just figuring out how to play. I feel I have only played 12 weeks of my life on grass but the whole atmosphere and tradition is pumping me up and just looking forward to the next matches.”
On her remarkable win streak – that has now overtaken Venus Williams' record for the longest run by a women's player in the 21st century – and rise to No 1 in the world, Swiatek added: “I really worked on that and my team gave me huge support and all the work we have been doing has really clicked.
“I am pretty sad Ash [Barty] isn't here as I would really would have loved to play her on grass.”
Next up for Swiatek will be Dutch world No 138 Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove.
Barbora Krejcikova, who won the French Open in 2021 to split Swiatek's two titles there, also advanced to the second round. The 13th-seeded Czech defeated Maryna Zanevska of Belgium 7-6, 6-3.
Spanish fourth seed Paula Badosa sealed her passage to the next round in straight sets after beating Louisa Chirico of the United States 6-2, 6-1.
Fifth seed Maria Sakkari of Greece is also through after easing past Australian Zoe Hives 6-1, 6-4 in 78 minutes. She will face Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova in the next round.
American teenager Coco Gauff rebounded from a set down to beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. Gauff, seeded 11, was runner-up to Swiatek at the French Open but needed three sets to get past the Romanian, who is ranked 54th in the world.
Next up for the 18-year-old will be another Romanian in Mihaela Buzarnescu, who defeated last year's Junior Wimbledon finalist Nastasja Schunk 6-4, 6-2.
Former French Open champion and 12th seed Jelena Ostapenko staved off a late comeback attempt by Oceane Dodin to win 6-4, 6-4. The Dane will now take on Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, who is making her return from maternity leave and currently ranked 606th in the world.
Simona Halep, the 2019 champion and 16th seed this year, defeated Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2.
Among the seeds heading for the All England Club exit is Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. The Swiss 14th seed lost to Qiang Wang of China 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
Bencic's countrywoman Jil Teichmann, the 18th seed, is also out after falling to a 6-2, 6-3 defeat against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, while Kazakhstan's 27th seed Yulia Putintseva was beaten 6-3, 7-6 by Alize Cornet of France.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20ASI%20(formerly%20DigestAI)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Quddus%20Pativada%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Artificial%20intelligence%2C%20education%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243%20million-plus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GSV%20Ventures%2C%20Character%2C%20Mark%20Cuban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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More Iraq election coverage:
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
