London (AP) Aryna Sabalenka was struggling to cope with the unconventional style of play of her opponent in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. On Tuesday, the errors were becoming worse. The tension was increasing. The deficit was concerning.
When something went wrong, Sabalenka would raise her hands and gaze quizzically at her box. She was the epitome of frustration when she crouched on the grass close to the net after missing one forehand off a short ball. Sabalenka realized she needed to control her emotions and improve her strokes a month after losing to Coco Gauff in the French Open final.
completed it exactly on schedule. After trailing by a set and behind by a break twice in the third set, Sabalenka won the final three games to advance to the All England Club semifinals by defeating Laura Siegemund, ranked 104th, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 at Center Court.
Sabalenka, who has been at the top since last October, added, “She pushed me so much.” Guys, I mean, get the tickets, I thought as I stared at my box after the first set. I believe that we are going to depart from this lovely city, country, or location.
The only Grand Slam competition in which Sabalenka has never attended a championship match is Wimbledon. If she defeats American No. 13 Amanda Anisimova on Thursday, she can change that this week. Anisimova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9), to advance to her first major semifinal since the 2019 French Open, when she was barely 17.
Tuesday also saw the establishment of the first men’s semifinal, which pitted No. 5 Taylor Fritz against No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion.
Sabalenka finished second at this year’s Australian Open (losing to Madison Keys) and French Open (losing to Gauff), and she has won the Australian Open twice and the U.S. Open once.
In 2021 and 2023, the 27-year-old Belarusian lost in the Wimbledon semifinals.
Not only had Sabalenka not lost a set throughout this year’s grass-court major until Tuesday, but she had also not encountered a player like Siegemund, 37. In addition to being the oldest and lowest-ranked woman in the quarterfinals, the German, who defeated No. 6 Keys last week, also had the fewest career titles (two).
In 2025, she had a 4-9 record on the tour and a 2-5 career record at Wimbledon.
However, her ability to repeatedly alter the depth, pace, angles, and spins of her shots can irritate any opponent and lessen the force that Sabalenka possesses. Without a doubt, Sabalenka was irritated, particularly during the last set.
The game isn’t really bothersome. The game is clever. Sabalenka said that she was actually having everyone work against her. You are aware that every point requires effort. Whether you are a big hitter or a big server is irrelevant. You must work. You must run. And the victory must be earned.
Sabalenka broke to start her match-ending run after falling behind 4-3 in the final set. She delivered her only two aces at 103 and 116 mph in the following game.
After almost three hours, Sabalenka closed her eyes, extended her arms wide, and screamed loudly when she hit a volley winner to break again and end the match.
What else happened in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Tuesday?
The 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Fritz overcame a mid-match slump to advance to the semifinals at the All England Club for the first time with a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Karen Khachanov, while Alcaraz defeated unseeded Cam Norrie, the final British player in both singles brackets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
Who will play in Wednesday s quarterfinals at the All England Club?
Mirra Andreeva, ranked seventh, is facing Belinda Bencic in the most recent women’s quarterfinal, while Iga Swiatek, ranked eighth, is facing Liudmila Samsonova, ranked nineteenth. The men’s matches include 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic against No. 22 Flavio Cobolli and No. 1 Jannik Sinner against No. 10 Ben Shelton.
