India, July 9 -- Iga Swiatek loves repeating a line when she is feeling good about her level of tennis. She said it at this year's Australian Open, and this Wimbledon.

"The ball is listening to me."

For a long time at Wimbledon, it did not. It was odd that a five-time Grand Slam champion who found success on clay and hard courts had made the quarter-final of the grass-court major only once. It was also odd that a player who made the semi-final of both Slams this season would speak about getting "goosebumps" after another quarter-final victory.

This, however, was a victory that broke new ground for a former world No.1 who spent 125 weeks at the top. And so, when she cracked a forehand return winner to beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5 on...