Iga Swiatek saves two match points, rallies to beat Belinda Bencic at Wimbledon

WATCH: Iga Swiatek rallied from match points down to beat Belinda Bencic in more than three hours at Wimbledon.

Iga Swiatek's learning curve for grass-court tennis got a nearly three-hour lesson on Sunday at Wimbledon, as the world No. 1 saved two match points in a thrilling, 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3 fourth-round win over No.14 seed Belinda Bencic on Centre Court.

For the first time in her career, as per a note in the BBC's commentary, Swiatek played a match with at least two tiebreaks, as she and Bencic dueled on Centre Court for three hours and two minutes. But the Pole almost never got there, as she stared down a 7-6(3), 6-5, 15-40 deficit on serve in the second set—after previously leading 3-1.

Swiatek saved the first match point with a forehand that was as good as a clean winner—a sprinting Bencic could only reach in desperation for it as it ticked off her racquet frame—and the second, with a clean backhand cross-court as she charged forward. Less than 15 minutes later, the threat of a straight-sets defeat well and truly passed. From a mini-break down at 2-1 in the tiebreak, Swiatek ripped off six straight points to stay alive.

"It hurts right now, but I still, I think I'm still super proud of myself," Bencic told reporters afterwards. "I also do not have any regrets like in terms what I would have done different today on the court."

Would she play the match points differently if she could?

"I made two good returns, and of course I tried to make her play," Bencic continued. "She came up with a great shot. That's well done from her. I would do the same thing again."

Swiatek then saved a break point at 1-1 in the decider—the only one she faced in the set—and broke Bencic to take the lead for good in the fourth game. To win the match, Swiatek held serve from 0-30 down.

"I don't even remember how it was, Swiatek said afterwards. "But from what I know, usually I know that I have kind of nothing to lose. Usually I know that the player that is supposed to win this point is having little bit more pressure. I also know how it is to have match points and to kind of try to close it, but not be too impatient.

"I just wanted to kind of play my game no matter what the situation was. I'm happy that I did that.

"For sure this match is going to give me more belief. I'm happy that it was really tight and I could still play my game.These are important moments for sure. You have to take all the positive stuff from matches like that."

Used to winning her matches comfortably, and a great front-runner, the victory was Swiatek's second this year after dropping the first set. It was also the second-longest women's match of the tournament, trailing only Lesia Tsurenko's three-hour, 40-minute third-round win over Romania's Ana Bogdan.

In her fourth main-draw appearance at Wimbledon, Swiatek is through to her first quarterfinal, and with it, has now reached the quarterfinals or better at all four Grand Slams at the tender age of 22. She'll next face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who outlasted Victoria Azarenka 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(9) to reach her second Grand Slam quarterfinal in as many majorr tournaments played after returning from maternity leave.