“I always got stuck in the fourth round,” A jubilant Belinda Bencic said on Monday after earning her maiden quarterfinal spot at the Wimbledon. The Swiss pro, who’s also a mother now to one-year-old daughter Bella, has changed her fortunes this month despite going through a mediocre form few weeks back. Going forward, Bencic will only think of one goal: to win her maiden slam. To make it happen, though, she will have to overcome her toughest rival yet at the ongoing grass major. On Wednesday, she will be up against Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva. The latter is going through a sublime form as well. So who will make it to the semis at the Wimbledon for the first time?

Bencic started her campaign at the All England Club with a straight-set win (6-0, 6-3) over America’s Alycia Parks. In the second round, she bested France’s Elsa Jacquemot despite losing the first set. Bencic came back in the second set before earning the victory in a decider. In the third round, the 2025 Abu Dhabi champion edged out Elisabetta Cocciaretto in another three-set thriller. She then outplayed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round in straight sets to confirm a quarterfinal spot.

Mirra Andreeva, on the other hand, has been in the form of her life for the past week. On grass, she’s dominated her opponents from the beginning of her campaign. In the first round, she eliminated Egyptian pro Maya Sherif in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) before taking down Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets too. The 18-year-old then outperformed American Hailey Baptiste in another straight-set battle. In the fourth round, she didn’t give any chance to American star Emma Navarro and entered into the quarterfinals with a thumping win (6-2, 6-3).

Speaking of their event history, tennis mom and World No.35 Bencic has been a Wimbledon veteran for a decade now. Still, she never went past the fourth round before this season. Andreeva is playing only in her third grass major and has made it to the R8 early. But what about their grass performance this year? The Swiss has won four of her five battles on the green surface in 2025 (win percentage of 80). The Russian is not far behind as well. She’s clinched 5 of her seven matches on grass, with a win percentage of 71.42.

When it comes to H2H record, the tally stands at 0-0. Simply because Andreeva has never faced Bencic in any WTA event. On Wednesday, they will be against each other for the first time on grass. However, Bencic is expected to come out stronger against a gutsy Andreeva. Why so? The Swiss pro has got an aggressive baseline gameplay with an ability to hit effective return shots in quick time. She’s expected to reign supreme, despite a tough challenge from the teenager, in a deciding set.

In case Bencic passes Andreeva’s acid test, she will look to create history for Switzerland. While the men’s side saw Roger Federer lifting the Gentlemen’s trophy the last time in 2017, no Swiss woman has done it in nearly thirty years. But now, tennis mom Bencic’s got the biggest opportunity of her career to change the fate.

Belinda Bencic can end Switzerland’s 28-year Wimbledon drought

For the uninitiated, Martina Hingis was the last woman from Switzerland to win the Wimbledon. Back in 1997, the WTA icon bested Czechia’s Jana Novotna in the summit clash. She beat her with a score line of 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy.

It was Hingis’ maiden title triumph at the grass major. After that, she did reach the semis a year later and QF in 2000 but couldn’t replicate the initial victory.

It’s been 28 years since Hingis accomplished the rare grass feat. While Bencic is expected to make it happen, she’s also got her own objective to achieve. Winning a slam for the first time. Her best run in all of the four majors includes entering the semis at the US Open, back in 2019.

This week, she can match her best slam campaign while increasing her chances to do one better. Will she be able to do it though? Only time will tell. What are your thought on Belinda Bencic’s prospects at the 2025 Wimbledon in its last week? Let us know in the comments below. And don’t miss a moment—get minute-by-minute coverage of the Championships on EssentiallySports.