She is the player who won a set without losing a single point at Wimbledon and made history 13 years ago

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Throughout Wimbledon’s 148-year history, several players have left their mark on the grass at SW19.

Records are meant to be broken, and at Wimbledon, they often are, as the best players in the world bring their A-game to south-west London.

In 2010, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played the longest match in tennis history, which took place over three days, lasting 11 hours and five minutes in total.

Another record was broken in 2024, when Ben Shelton hit the fastest serve in Wimbledon history, clocking in at 153 mph.

It was back in 2012, however, that a WTA star made tennis history, achieving something in her third-round match that had never been done before (and hasn’t been done since) at a Grand Slam tournament.

Yaroslava Shvedova won a ‘golden set’ in the third round of Wimbledon 13 years ago

Receiving a Wild Card into the tournament, Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova made light work of her first two opponents at the All England Club, advancing to the third round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career.

• 2012 Wimbledon 1R – Yaroslava Shvedova beat Chanelle Scheepers, 7-6, 7-6
• 2012 Wimbledon 2R – Yaroslava Shvedova beat Kiki Bertens, 6-4, 6-4

Standing between Shvedova and a place in the last 16 was Italian star Sara Errani, who had dropped just six games in her opening two matches.

Errani, a finalist at the French Open one month earlier, was looking to make another deep run at a Grand Slam, but could never have predicted what was about to happen.

Shvedova produced a ‘golden set’ of tennis to kick off their third-round match, winning all 24 points, making history at Wimbledon.

There had been four previous ‘golden sets’ recorded in tennis history, although none came at an event as prestigious as Wimbledon.

Shvedova’s streak came to an end early in the second set when Errani broke the Kazakh’s serve, causing the crowd to cheer wildly.

Fighting back, Shvedova secured the win 6-0, 6-4, to set up an intriguing fourth-round clash with Serena Williams.

After the match, Shvedova revealed she hadn’t realised she’d won a ‘golden set’ as she reflected on her ‘incredible’ achievement.

“Yeah, I had no idea. I was just playing every point and every game. I didn’t feel like every game was 40‑Love, only in the second set,” she said.

“I remember the first or second ball of the second set she won. All the people started to clap and scream. I was like, What’s going on? I even smiled. I was, like, Okay, they want to see a good match.

“Then in the gym after the match, when I was cooling down, my coach came, and he’s like, Did you know someone told me the stats about you and not losing a point?

“I was like, Really? Like not making unforced errors or not losing points? Not losing a point. So it was incredible.”

Putting the record to the back of her mind, Shvedova turned her attention to the fourth round and a match with Williams.

This time it was Shvedova’s turn to be on the receiving end of a dominant first set, losing 1-6 to the American legend.

Stepping into another gear in the second, Shvedova levelled things up at 1-6, 6-2, taking the tie all the way to a deciding set.

There, the experience of Williams proved valuable, edging the third 7-5, to secure her place in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Shvedova’s Wimbledon run had come to an end at the hands of the eventual champion, but she had left her mark at the All England Club, winning the event’s only ‘golden set’.

Did Yaroslava Shvedova ever reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals?

Missing out on a chance to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2012, Shvedova wasn’t prepared to let the opportunity slip through her fingers four years later.

Beating Julia Gorges, Elina Svitolina, and Sabine Lisicki, Shvedova returned to the fourth round, where she took on number 28 seed Lucie Safarova.

In straight sets, Shvedova defeated her Czech opponent 6-2, 6-4, to advance to her first career Wimbledon quarterfinal.

There, she was met with the older of the two Williams sisters, Venus Williams, a five-time champion at SW19.

Failing in her bid to reach the semi-finals, Shvedova lost to Williams 6-7, 2-6, and never returned to Wimbledon.

Injuries derailed her career, and except for a brief comeback in 2021, Shvedova’s time at the top was over, as she retired officially in October 2021.

Retiring with a title and three Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances to her name, Shvedova will forever be remembered as the only player to win a golden set at a major tournament.