Aryna Sabalenka is one step away from her fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and potentially a blockbuster Wimbledon showdown with longtime rival Iga Swiatek.
But first, the top seed must overcome American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova in Thursday’s semi-final at the All England Club.
Sabalenka powered through the early rounds without dropping a set, but her quarter-final clash proved far more turbulent.
Up against 104th-ranked Laura Siegemund, the Belarusian twice trailed by a break in the final set before grinding out a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win in just under three hours.
At 27, Sabalenka is chasing her maiden Wimbledon final appearance. Her opponent, Anisimova, has history on her side, she leads their head-to-head 5-3, although Sabalenka recently bested her at Roland Garros.
Anisimova’s run to the last four is all the more impressive given her comeback. After stepping away from tennis due to mental health struggles, she began 2024 ranked outside the top 400.
Now, with her semi-final berth secured after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 23-year-old is set to crack the top 10 for the first time and has matched her previous best Grand Slam showing from the 2019 French Open.
“I definitely think this surface suits her game really well,” Sabalenka acknowledged. “That’s why she’s playing so well so far. She’s serving well, she’s hitting quite clean and heavy shots.
“We just played recently at the French Open. I had to work really hard to get the win. I mean, it’s going to be very aggressive tennis, I think.”
Anisimova expects a high-octane encounter. “I feel like we always bring the best in each other’s game, and we always raise the level when we play against each other,” she said. “We’re big hitters who like to go at it against each other.”
Should Sabalenka prevail, a potential final against Swiatek looms large. The Polish star has beaten Sabalenka eight times in 13 meetings, though the two have never faced off on grass.
Their last encounter ended in Sabalenka’s favor during the French Open semi-finals.
Before that can happen, Swiatek must navigate her own semi-final against Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Swiatek, seeded eighth, has flown under the radar in London, quietly making her way through the draw while higher seeds have fallen.
She’s dropped just one set en route to the last four and is reaping the rewards of off-season effort to adapt her game to grass. Her run to the final at Bad Homburg last month marked her first grass-court final on the WTA tour.
“It feels great. Even though I’m in the middle of the tournament I’ve already got goosebumps after this win. I’m super happy and super proud of myself and I’ll keep going,” she said after her quarter-final triumph over Liudmila Samsonova.
Bencic, meanwhile, has made an inspiring return to the game. The 28-year-old resumed playing in October following the birth of her daughter, Bella, and has shown flashes of her old brilliance.
“I’m very proud. I didn’t say it to myself much before but since having Bella I say it to myself every day. It’s not only me, I wouldn’t be able to do it without my amazing family and team,” Bencic said. “We worked so hard on the comeback. We are enjoying life on tour and to play great is a bonus.”
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic survived a quarter-final scare to stay in contention for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion will face top seed Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is set to meet American fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the other last-four tie.