Stankiewicz: first Polish girl to reach SW19 quarters since Swiatek
By defeating Great Britain’s Hephzibah Oluwadare in straight sets, Monika Stankiewicz has become the first Polish girl since world No. 1 Iga Swiatek to reach the quarter-finals at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon.
Swiatek claimed the Wimbledon girls’ title in 2018 before taking the professional game by storm. In the intervening years she has chalked up five Grand Slam titles and surged to the top of the WTA Rankings.
Stankiewicz, who had only one Junior Grand Slam match-win to her name before this week, has now followed in the footsteps of her compatriot Swiatek by reaching the last eight, where she will meet Australia’s Emerson Jones.
“Honestly, I cannot believe it,” Stankiewicz told itftennis.com. “This is a huge success for me. I really did not expect that I would be in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
“If someone had told me last week that I would reach the quarters, I would have said, ‘you’re kidding me, you’re crazy’. Maybe I thought I would win one match, maybe two maximum.
“After winning yesterday, I was really happy and today I thought, ‘okay, if I win it will be nice. If I lose, it’s okay because I won two matches and beat some good players’.”
Stankiewicz is currently ranked No. 24 in the ITF World Tennis Tour girls’ rankings in a season during which she topped the podium at J300 Cairo in February and reached the quarter-finals at two J500 events.
The 17-year-old is now making her mark on the Junior Grand Slam stage having claimed her maiden Junor Grand Slam match-win at the Roland Garros Junior Championships in June. She is also having a ball off court.
“Some of the best moments here are when you’re in the same locker room as the pros,” said Stankiewicz. “The staff also treat you in a different way. With the security on court, you feel special and it's so different to other tournaments. At the same time, it can make you nervous, of course.
“But I think the very best moments are when you’re going somewhere and passing someone, they look at you, take photos and videos and ask for autographs. It is really special.”
Whether Stankiewicz can fully emulate Swiatek and claim the girls’ title here remains to be seen, although there have been some intriguing results in recent days which has, to some extent, opened up the girls' draw. Needless to say, Swiatek is an inspiration.
“I like her a lot,” added Stankiewicz. “I have practiced with her a few times so I know her personally. She is a really nice person and an amazing athlete. She has done amazingly in tennis and she is the best player in the world – dominating the game.
“I like her movement and her mentality on court. Our styles are different; I am short and she is tall so she has more power, but she is a huge inspiration. Her movement, her mentality and her behaviour and focus on the court is something really inspiring.”
Stankiewicz also revealed that during her down time at Wimbledon she has been watching the Polish version of Masterchef, which is fitting. She seemingly has all the right ingredients to continue causing a stir here this week.
A full list of results from the 2024 Junior Championships, Wimbledon is available here.