Historic Wimbledon debacle: Anisimova loses to Świątek in the final

One could only feel sorry for Amanda Anisimova. The American played her first Grand Slam final on Saturday – and lost hopelessly to Poland's Iga Swiatek. The final score was 0:6, 0:6. The 23-year-old didn't win a single game.

It's a historic debacle. The last time a Wimbledon final ended without a win was in 1911. 114 years ago, Dora Boothby lost to fellow Englishwoman Dorothea Lambert-Chambers in a straight-set victory. This has never happened before in the Open era at the London classic. Only Steffi Graf achieved this feat in the 1988 French Open final against Natasha Zvereva. Such a show of power has never been seen at the US Open or the Australian Open.

The American's frustration and despair were evident on the hallowed turf of Wimbledon. She repeatedly fought back tears during the match. She let her disappointment run free at the awards ceremony.

As she thanked and apologized to the fans, her voice repeatedly faltered. "Thank you all for supporting me. Even when I didn't have any energy today, you were there for me." At least she was able to smile again shortly afterward and take the situation with humor.

Swiatek of Poland, on the other hand, won her first Wimbledon title. In a completely one-sided final lasting just 57 minutes, she inflicted the maximum penalty on her overwhelmed opponent.

For Swiatek, this is the sixth Grand Slam title of her career. She is the only player in professional tennis history, alongside Margaret Court and Monica Seles, to have won her first six Grand Slam finals. In addition to the title, Swiatek also wins 3.47 million euros (3 million British pounds).

Swiatek gratefully accepted the trophy from Princess Kate and listened to the tournament patron's congratulations. "This is super surreal," Swiatek said, addressing Anisimova. "No matter what happened today, you can be proud of your work. I hope we play against each other in many more finals."