LONDON (AP) — More comfortable on grass courts than ever, Iga Swiatek played as well as she ever has on the slick surface — well, better than ever, actually — to reach her first Wimbledon final by defeating Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 at Centre Court on Thursday.
Swiatek will face Amanda Anisimova for the trophy on Saturday. Whoever wins will be the eighth consecutive first-time women's champion at the All England Club.
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Switzerland's Belinda Bencic fails to return to Poland's Iga Swiatek during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Iga Swiatek of Poland returns to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during the women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the women's singles semifinal match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after beating Switzerland's Belinda Bencic during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
“I never even dreamt that it’s going to be possible for me to play in the final,” said Swiatek, who has won five Grand Slam titles elsewhere and spent most of 2022, 2023 and 2024 at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
Good as she is on clay courts, especially, and hard courts, too, Swiatek only once had been as far as the quarterfinals at Wimbledon until this week.
“I’m just super excited and just proud of myself,” the 24-year-old from Poland said after wrapping up the victory over Bencic in just 71 minutes. “Tennis keeps surprising me. I thought I lived through everything, even though I'm young. I thought I experienced everything on the court. But I didn't experience playing well on grass. That’s the first time.”
There were signs of a breakthrough right before Wimbledon: She made her first career final on grass in a tournament at Bad Homburg, Germany — losing to Jessica Pegula, then crying on court — and that also happened to be her first final at any event in more than a year.
The last 12 months also including a doping case in which Swiatek wound up with a month ban after it was determined she was exposed to a contaminated medical product used for trouble sleeping and jet lag.
Now she is one win away from ending her overall championship drought and adding to the Grand Slam hardware she already has earned: four titles at the French Open and one at the U.S. Open.
She is 5-0 in major finals, while Anisimova, a 23-year-old from the United States, will be making her debut in that round at a major on Saturday.
They played each other as juniors when they were teens but never have met as professionals.
“She can play amazing tennis and she loves fast surfaces, because she has a flat game,” Swiatek said about Anisimova. “So you have to be ready for fast shots, for her being proactive. But I'm just going to kind of focus on myself.”
So what is the secret to Swiatek's grass prowess lately?
“I improved my movement and I am serving really well and I feel really confident, so I'm just going for it,” said Swiatek, who listened to AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses before her semifinal. “For sure, it's working.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Switzerland's Belinda Bencic fails to return to Poland's Iga Swiatek during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Iga Swiatek of Poland returns to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during the women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the women's singles semifinal match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after beating Switzerland's Belinda Bencic during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kongers offered flowers and bowed outside a funeral parlor on Friday to pay tribute to a firefighter who was among the 160 people killed by the city's deadliest fire in decades.
Ho Wai-ho lost his life battling the massive blaze that engulfed seven buildings of a housing complex on Nov. 26. He was 37. The fire services department has posthumously awarded him the title of senior fireman.
An array of wreaths lay outside the Universal Funeral Parlour, with thank-you cards from residents put up on its wall. Top officials, including Hong Kong leader John Lee, were among the funeral attendees.
After the ceremony, they stood outside the parlor to send off the hearse, which carried Ho’s portrait at the front. Dozens of firefighters raised a salute as Ho’s coffin, draped with a Hong Kong regional flag, departed.
Before the funeral, some black-clad residents laid flowers at a mourning area outside the venue. One woman cried when she paid respect, and a man made a salute gesture.
Resident Andy Fong, who brought yellow flowers with him, said he hoped Ho could rest in peace.
“It's heartbreaking. Although we have never met, it has saddened every Hong Konger," he said.
Retiree Tse Pak-yin praised Ho for his bravery.
“I hope he will be happy. He still hasn't got married and it's such as pity,” he said.
Ho is survived by his parents, his two brothers and his fiancée.
The hearse headed to Wang Fuk Court, the site of the fire, for another ceremony before proceeding to Ho's fire station. At the station, colleagues paid their last tributes, with some officers marching on both sides of the hearse as it moved. He was laid to rest at Gallant Garden, a burial ground for civil servants who die in the line of duty.
In a Monday statement, the fire services department said Ho was an industrious, polite and dedicated member who was well respected by his colleagues.
The financial hub's worst blaze since 1948 broke out November 26 at Wang Fuk Court, in the northern suburban district of Tai Po. It was undergoing a monthslong renovation project with buildings covered by bamboo scaffolding and green netting.
Authorities have pointed to the substandard plastic nylon netting and foam boards installed on windows for contributing to the fire’s rapid spread.
Thousands of affected residents have moved to transitional homes, hotels and youth hostels, struggling to recover from the loss of lives and homes that took them years to buy. The tragedy pained many residents across the city.
While arrests were made, some residents have raised concerns about government oversight in building maintenance projects and official investigation efforts.
The government last week announced a judge-led independent committee to probe the cause and expected it to conclude the work within nine months, along with new requirements for checking the standards of netting.
An earlier version of the headline on this story inaccurately described the fire as Hong Kong’s deadliest. It was the deadliest in decades.
Firefighters gather around the grave of Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, during a funeral in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A picture of Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, is displayed on a hearse at a funeral parlor, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A display of wreaths stand outside a funeral parlor at a tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A resident salutes to pay tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People gather outside a funeral parlor to pay tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, passing by a funeral parlor in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A hearse carries Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, as it passes by a funeral parlor, in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A hearse carries Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty during the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26, passes by a funeral parlor in Hong Kong, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
