Aryna Sabalenka got all she could handle — and more — from Laura Siegemund of Germany but managed a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win to advance to the semifinals at Wimbledon on Tuesday in London.
The 37-year-old Siegemund took Sabalenka out of her traditional power game, instead forcing the 27-year-old from Belarus off the baseline.
Siegemund mixed in short returns, drop shots and low-velocity serves to keep Sabalenka off balance and running on the grass court. It worked in the first set as the German got off to a 3-0 start and held on to capture the set.
Sabalenka thought her day was doomed.
“I need some time to recover … She pushed me so much and, honestly, after the first set, I was just like looking at my box thinking like, ‘Guys I mean like book the tickets, you know. I think we’re about to leave this beautiful city, country, place’,” she said.
Siegemund, ranked No. 104 in the world, was trying to become the oldest first-time semifinalist in a major tournament in the Open Era. She took Sabalenka to a third set for the first time in the tournament and twice got up a break point, only to lose her final three service games in the set.
Sabalenka, in her post-match remarks, acknowledged Siegemund’s effort and the support of the crowd.
“But wow, she played an incredible tournament, an incredible match and I’m just super happy right now with the win and, oh my God guys, like atmosphere — it’s just another level,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has never won Wimbledon. She will play in her third semifinal in London, this time against No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9) in the day’s other quarterfinal.
Anisimova advanced to the Wimbledon semifinal for the first time. And although she has just three tour titles, she likely won’t be intimidated by Sabalenka. She has a 5-3 career record against her despite Sabalenka winning their Round of 16 meeting in the recent French Open.
And the odds increase if she wins the first set. Anisimova has won 28 straight matches when she has gone up by a set.
“It’s been an extraordinary year for me, so many highs,” Anisimova said in her on-court interview. “I’ve just been enjoying every step of the way. … I keep reminding myself to enjoy the moment; it’s not often you get to play on such a special court in front of so many special people.”
Pavlyuchenkova was down 5-3 in the second frame with Anisimova serving for the set. She converted her first break point to get back on serve, then couldn’t cash in on three set points in her service game, resulting in a tie-breaker.
The 23-year-old American moved to 11-2 on grass this season.
–Field Level Media
