(Reuters) – Claycourt specialist Iga Swiatek has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon but the world number one says the transition to slick grass surfaces is becoming a little easier each year.
The Pole warmed up for this year’s grasscourt Grand Slam by reaching her first quarter-final on the surface at the Bad Homburg Open.
She brushed aside Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-1 in the last 16 of the WTA 250 event on Wednesday for her 37th win of the season but only an eighth career victory on grass.
“It’s getting easier every year to convert my claycourt style to more grasscourt style,” said Swiatek, who won her third French Open title this month.
The 22-year-old, whose coach Tomasz Wiktorowski previously worked with former world number two Agnieszka Radwanska, said her grass game would improve with experience.
“I have a coach who knows how to coach players who are good on grass courts like Aga Radwanska, so I’m pretty positive about my future on grass.”
Swiatek faces Anna Blinkova later on Thursday for a place in the semi-finals of the German event.
“I think it’s my first grasscourt quarter-final, so pretty excited,” she added. “For now I’m just focusing on the process and learning as much as possible.”
Wimbledon runs from July 3-16.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
