Right it’s time to call time on today’s blog, somewhat earlier than expected after those dominant wins for Serena Williams and Simona Halep. Let’s hope proceedings will go on for a little longer tomorrow when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal meet for the first time here since the Greatest Match of All Time ™. Hopefully Kevin Mitchell’s preview will keep you going until then – otherwise this definitely will if you can spare six hours. Thanks for your company today. Bye!
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A few other results to bring you from today. Wimbledon’s 2010 marathon man Nicolas Mahut and his fellow Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin are through to the men’s doubles final, defeating Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Slovakia’s Filip Polasek 6-2, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2). They’ll face the winners of the match just getting under way on Centre Court, between the Colombian second seeds, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, and South Africa’s Raven Klaasen and New Zealand’s Michael Venus.
On No 1 Court, Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar, the top seeds in the mixed doubles and the villains of the piece yesterday when they did for Andy Murray and Serena Williams, could go the same way as Murena, trailing by a set in their quarter-final.
And in the wheelchair events, there have been quarter-final singles defeats for Britain’s Gordon Reid, Alfie Hewett and Jordanne Whiley, but victory for the two-time Paralympic silver medallist Andy Lapthorne, who has become the first Brit to reach a quad final at Wimbledon.
Very excited for Serena vs Simona on Saturday. Both played great today and their Australian Open fourth round was easily one of the very best matches of 2019. https://t.co/4QYGp7bVOQ
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 11, 2019
@KatyMurrells based on what you've seen today, who wins the title on Saturday?
— Mark Adnum (@Mark_Adnum) July 11, 2019
The match is on Williams’s racket and she’ll be the strong favourite not only because of their head-to-head (which she dominates 9-1) but also because of their match-up. An attacking Williams should beat a defending Halep. But if Williams gets the jitters, Halep showed today that she’s in the form to take advantage.
One thing is certain: if Williams does win the title, at the age of 37, with no momentum coming into the tournament and given the pressure of the history she’s chasing, it would be one of her best grand slam wins. And that’s saying something.
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Here’s Kevin Mitchell’s match report:
That was peak-of-powers Serena. If she comes within shouting distance of this level on Saturday, 24 beckons. #Wimbledon
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) July 11, 2019
An eleventh Wimbledon singles final beckons for Serena Williams - on Saturday she will become the oldest Grand Slam women’s finalist in the Open Era
— Russell Fuller (@russellcfuller) July 11, 2019
.@serenawilliams is back! Playing mixed doubles seems to have helped her superb timing and movement. What a beautiful, rhythmic serve! Looking forward to a great final with @Simona_Halep. #Wimbledon
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 11, 2019
One step away from an eighth #Wimbledon singles title...@serenawilliams defeats Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes on Centre Court pic.twitter.com/PzZzr8qi9M
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2019
Two semi-finals. Four sets. A combined seven games won by the defeated. The crowd may feel short changed but they did get to see Williams at her best. Can she maintain that power, poise and precision against Halep or will the milestone of equalling Margaret Court’s all-time grand slam record become a millstone as it did in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year?
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And here are the thoughts of the victor:
It’s good, especially after my year. It feels good to be back in the final. I just needed some matches. Every match I’m improving. Now I’m feeling good I can do what I do best, and that’s playing tennis. I wake up every morning and I get to be fit, play in front of crowds. Not everyone can do that. I love what I do, it’s just a remarkable experience. [Halep is] tough. We always have tough matches. I look forward to it.
Williams defeats Strycova 6-1, 6-2!
Strycova prevails in a 14-shot rally on the first point. A final flourish? Perhaps, because Williams wallops her way to 15-all. But then Strycova decides to get in on the act. 15-30. Which becomes 30-all. Strycova loops long and it’s match point. And Williams ends with yet another winner, sprinting forward to dispatch a cross-court forehand! Williams is through to her 11th Wimbledon final after a devastating display that lasted only 59 minutes and stands only one win away from that historic 24th grand slam title and her first since becoming a mother!
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Second set: *Williams 6-1, 5-2 Strycova (*denotes next server)
Strycova is skating on very thin ice at 15-30 on her serve. Or stumbling on slightly worn grass, to be more accurate. The drop shot that served her so well against Konta again fails to come off here. 15-40, two break points that could leave Williams serving for the match. Strycova holds firm on the first, but inexplicably blazes a volley well into the tramlines on the second! Strycova screams before putting her face in her hands. It’s almost checkmate for the Czech.
Second set: Williams 6-1, 4-2 Strycova* (*denotes next server)
In words that will probably put the curse on Williams, there are no signs she will get nervous closing this out. She’s looking so assured. When she’s nervous her footwork can be the first thing that goes, but she’s moving so freely, unlike her opponent who appears to be struggling with a leg injury. Williams consolidates the break by holding to love.
Second set: *Williams 6-1, 3-2 Strycova (*denotes next server)
It’s certainly fun watching the 5ft 5in Strycova digging out everything she has in her box of tricks to try to conjure a comeback against Williams, even though she is surely going to come up short. Williams rolls through another service game and then puts the pressure on Strycova’s serve at 30-all. Strycova double faults, but I’m not sure that can be called a fault given the way Williams was lurking within the baseline. And Strycova nets!
Unlike too many pro tennis players, Barbora Strycova has a Plan A, Plan B and even a Plan C. None of them are working at the moment, but she's got them. And that's why this match is so entertaining even if Serena is dominating.
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) July 11, 2019
Second set: *Williams 6-1, 1-2 Strycova (*denotes next server)
As Tumaini says in his tweet, the mixed doubles has certainly helped Williams in the singles, but becoming an honorary Brit has also seen her lifted by the crowd more than perhaps in previous years. But the Centre Court patrons are cheering loudly for Strycova as the Czech underdog gets to game point. And Strycova is screaming even more loudly herself when she holds to win only her third game of the match.
That was a great set from Williams. Pretty much one of the biggest-serving sets of her comeback - 110mph average with 63%. Hitting really cleanly off the ground, using angles and looks much improved at the net. Doubles works.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 11, 2019
We'll see if Strycova can shake her in any way...
Second set: Williams 6-1, 1-1 Strycova* (*denotes next server)
Strycova has defeated four seeds this fortnight, including Johanna Konta in the quarter-finals when she blew the Brit off course with her serve and volleying, low slice and liberal use of drop shots. But it’s not enough to interrupt Williams’s rhythm. While Strycova manages to hold serve at the start of the second set, Williams comes straight back at her with a hold to 15, though the highlight of the game was a stylish Strycova backhand winner which just clipped the line.
Serena's writing process: the first few rounds are a rough draft. The middle rounds are for polishing. The latter rounds, the prose flows...up 5-1 and looking indomitable #Wimbledon
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) July 11, 2019
Looks like all that mixed doubles helped. Serena showing rare touch at the net, playing very well everywhere in fact. First set 6-1 in 27 minutes over the game but so-far overmatched Barbora Strycova
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) July 11, 2019
Williams wins the first set 6-1
But no, there’s a possible twist to the tale as Strycova out of nowhere gets to 0-15, 0-30, 0-40 with a very fortunate net cord. The Czech needs all the luck she can get right now. But beware a riled Williams. The seven-times champion retaliates immediately, saving all three break points for deuce. A beautiful angled drop volley from Williams brings up set point. And the set is sealed with her third ace.
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First set: *Williams 5-1 Strycova (*denotes next server)
Williams’s serve is such a weapon and the free points she gets on it quickly puts so much pressure back on her opponent when they’re serving. Having returned a man’s 138mph serve in the mixed doubles for a clean winner on Tuesday, Strycova’s serve is batting practice for Williams right now. 15-40, two points for the double break. Strycova sends a backhand wide and this set could be over very soon.
First set: Williams 4-1 Strycova* (*denotes next server)
Williams whistles through on serve, to love. She’s looking like the woman who has won the title seven times before.
First set: *Williams 3-1 Strycova (*denotes next server)
Williams sends a little message to Strycova that any weak serves will be punished by rattling a return winner. 15-all. She then gives the Czech something else to think about as she crashes down the smash. 30-all. A Strycova second serve is inviting for Williams, but she bludgeons the backhand long, before letting out an anguished scream. 40-30. Deuce. Advantage Williams, when Strycova rushes the drop shot. Strycova decides to serve and volley – you can’t criticise her for the tactic – but Williams is on to it, and pulls off the passing winner for the break! Williams is looking ominously strong.
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First set: Williams 2-1 Strycova* (*denotes next server)
Sam Smith points out on the BBC commentary that Williams had played only 12 matches this year coming into Wimbledon, adding up to around 20 hours on court. She may have been underdone coming here but she’s cooking on gas on serve here, and a hold to 30 allows her to nudge ahead once more. Both players seem settled from the off.
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First set: *Williams 1-1 Strycova (*denotes next server)
Williams looks furious with herself after an errant forehand gives Strycova game point at 40-15. Another unforced error and Strycova starts her serve with a comfortable hold. But Williams is already pushing here, trying to dictate the play, which could be ominous for the Czech who is appearing in her first grand slam semi-final at the age of 33.
First set: Williams 1-0 Strycova* (*denotes next server)
Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs Williams won the toss and will serve first. Sorry, make that Williams, what with Wimbledon finally stepping into the 21st century and no longer using marital status when saying the name of female players. But I digress. Williams gets to 30-all. Strycova checks the champion’s charge for 30-all. But Williams takes the next two points – finishing with the overhead – and that’s the opening game.
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Williams says: “This is the first time since Australia that I actually felt good. It’s been a really, really long year for me already, and hard year, because I’m usually not typically injured. Now that I feel good, I can actually focus on training and technique and practice, something that I just literally haven’t been able to do a lot of.”
Strycova says: “Of course, I don’t have as much power as Serena, but I have other weapons. I have really nothing to lose. When you go out there, you just focus on yourself and you focus how to beat that opponent, the way you want to beat her. So I am not really scared to play her. I just really will try my best and I will fight as much as I can.”
Tik! Tok! Tik! Tok! They’re warming up, the 5ft 10in Williams against the 5ft 5in Strycova. Williams leads the head-to-head 3-0, which includes their 2012 match at Wimbledon. This is a real contrast in styles between the power of Williams and the serve-volleying and slicing and dicing of the crafty Czech.
Serena Williams is into the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the 37th time.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 9, 2019
In her first 28 Slam semifinal appearances, she won the title 21 times. (75%)
In her eight Slam semifinal appearances since then, she has only won the title twice. (25%)#Wimbledon
And here comes Serena into the Wimbledon arena. After the SerAndy/Murena partnership ended in defeat yesterday, she’s back to being just Serena this afternoon, but with seven Wimbledon titles and 23 grand slam singles titles to her name, that’s the way she likes it. However will that quest for a record-equalling 24th major weigh too heavily on her shoulders today, as it did in last year’s Wimbledon and US Open finals? It’s an intriguing sub-plot to today’s match.
Semi-final swagger from @Simona_Halep 👌#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/X2NCkgcUq2
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2019
The final awaits...@Simona_Halep reaches her first ever #Wimbledon final after beating Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-3 pic.twitter.com/Jq88sV4J8J
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2019
And more musings on that semi-final:
A convincing 6-1 6-3 victory for Halep in the end. Her superior attacking talents won her that match. The first Romanian woman to reach a Wimbledon final.
— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 11, 2019
Simona Halep demolishes Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-3 to reach her first Wimbledon final. A pretty flawless performance.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 11, 2019
After rolling her ankle in her only other semi-final 5 years ago against Bouchard, it’s nice to see her get this moment.
Svitolina was a bit of a sitting duck today. Nowhere near Halep's level and probably hasn't been throughout the tournament despite grinding through.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 11, 2019
Have to think that reaching this semi will help her when she is in better form and on more comfortable ground.
News on tomorrow’s order of play, including Roger v Rafa XL:
Federer-Nadal #Wimbledon rematch is on second on Centre Court on Friday. Djokovic and Bautista Agut to start at 1 pm London time
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) July 11, 2019
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Fancy a match report already? Sure you do.
Well that was rather an anti-climax. A match that promised so much, especially after those first two games took 20 minutes, was all over in an hour and 12 minutes. Halep was rewarded for being the more aggressive player and, having won her first slam at the French Open last year, seemed to be playing with less pressure than Svitolina. On that form she’ll be extremely tough for
Williams on Saturday
sorry Williams or Strycova on Saturday.
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“It’s an amazing feeling,” says a beaming Halep. “I’m really excited and also nervous. It’s one the of the best moments of my life. It was not as easy as the score shows. I fought really hard to win this match. I played the right tactic and was very strong mentally and physically. I have more experience, I’m positive on court, I’ve learned many things. I’m trying to be the best version of myself every time I step on to court. It doesn’t matter who I play. It’s the final of Wimbledon, I cannot ask for more.”
Halep beats Svitolina 6-1, 6-3!
Halep has been known to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at times during her career, including the 2017 French Open final, but there are no signs of that happening here. 0-15. 15-all. 15-30. 15-40, after another unforced error from Svitolina. Two match points. Svitolina nets her first serve but lands her second, Halep is in control of the point, sending Svitolina scampering around the grass, but Halep then nets! Perhaps there are some nerves, after all. Halep doesn’t look as if she wants to get involved in a long rally on the second match point, sending back a probing return which Svitolina nets! Halep is into her first Wimbledon final, where she’ll face either Serena Williams or Barbora Strycova!
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Relentless performance from Simona Halep so far, leading Elina Svitolina 6-1 *5-3. Standing on the baseline and dictating everything, changing directions so well. One game from her first Wimbledon final.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 11, 2019
It is STUNNING how many 9+ shot rallies Halep has won today compared to Svitolina. Not sure I’ve ever seen a differential this big between two players who can run for days.
— Courtney Nguyen (@FortyDeuceTwits) July 11, 2019
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Second set: Svitolina* 1-6, 3-5 Halep (*denotes next server)
Halep decides it’s time to get serious. 15-40, two break points, and Svitolina swats out. Svitolina will be kicking herself after trying so hard to get back into this. Halep is now potentially two games away from her first Wimbledon final, make that one, when she holds to 15 with a rare ace.
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Second set: Svitolina* 1-6, 3-3 Halep (*denotes next server)
However while Svitolina is managing to hold serve in this second set, she’s making no inroads into Halep’s games. The Romanian hasn’t dropped a point on serve in this set and that record doesn’t change here as she charges through again in double quick time.
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Second set: Svitolina 1-6, 3-2 Halep* (*denotes next server)
The crowd, it has to be said, have been quite quiet so far. But they’re gasping when Svitolina lives dangerously at deuce, with her overhead clipping the net before skidding over and bamboozling Halep. Halep hoiks wide at Svitolina’s advantage. Cue a steely Svitolina fist pump, which suggests she thinks this is very much game on.
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Second set: Svitolina* 1-6, 2-2 Halep (*denotes next server)
Svitolina is the daughter of a wrestler, and credit to her for the way she’s scrapping here after the disappointment of losing that first set. A solid hold from Svitolina – but again Halep comes through her own serve to love. Four breaks in the first set have been followed by four consecutive holds in the second.
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Second set: Svitolina* 1-6, 1-1 Halep (*denotes next server)
Svitolina starts the second set by doing something she didn’t manage in the whole of the first: holding her serve. Given that Halep is a better version of herself, she’s not going to win this match by simply staying in rallies from the back of the court, and some more aggressive hitting gets her the game. Halep’s response? A hold to love.
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One set away from a first #Wimbledon final...@Simona_Halep wins the first 6-1 pic.twitter.com/3yy7CQfgtO
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2019
Halep wins the first set 6-1
From 30-all, Halep is slightly fortunate with a net cord, but she makes the most of her luck and a couple of shots later biffs away a backhand winner. Svitolina really needs to mix up the play here; she’s not winning enough of these longer rallies. So it’s 40-30, set point. Halep doesn’t take it but gets a second chance at her advantage. Svitolina squeezes a forehand deep to Halep’s backhand wing and the Romanian nets. Deuce. Another net cord and another set point. This time Halep double faults. A fourth set point. Svitolina swats away a return winner off a tame serve! A break point is then followed by a fifth set point. Another seemingly endless game to add to one at 1-0. A sixth set point. And this time Halep decides enough is enough, as she takes it with a forehand winner down the line! A 6-1 set but the scoreline really doesn’t tell the whole story.
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First set: Svitolina 1-5 Halep* (*denotes next server)
Halep is hurtling towards the first set now. 0-15, 0-30, 0-40. Three points for the double break. And Halep takes it in some style, showing tremendous court coverage to charge to the short ball before clubbing it away for a forehand cross-court winner.
First set: Svitolina* 1-4 Halep (*denotes next server)
But then no sooner does Svitolina break than she is broken back, to 30. She’s yet to hold to hold serve in her first grand slam semi-final and looks dejected. Halep then backs up the break, also to 30, before striding purposefully to her chair safe in the knowledge she’s now looking in control of this first set.
First set: Svitolina* 1-2 Halep (*denotes next server)
However from the never-ending game to one that barely begins, as Halep is broken to love! Two loose forehands from Halep combined with Svitolina striking out with a winner give the Ukrainian three break points, and she’s not in the mood to hang around after that arduous start. We’re back on serve.
Updated
20 minutes in. 32 points. Two games completed.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2019
Early indications suggest this battle will be a tight affair, but @Simona_Halep leads the semi-final 2-0#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/7BemkFzcrf
Halep v Svitolina early going: Best clay-court tennis I’ve ever watched on grass.
— Gerry Marzorati (@marzoTennis) July 11, 2019
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First set: Svitolina 0-2 Halep* (*denotes next server)
Svitolina is a big fan of Anthony Joshua, with her intense fitness regime inspired by the British heavyweight, but there’s no sign of him in the Royal Box today. Instead she’s got to make do with David Beckham, along with Jim Courier, Richard Branson, Chris Evans, Claire Foy, Cliff Richard and Maggie Smith, among others. Svitolina shows her own fighting qualities to fend off two break points at 30-40 and then Halep’s advantage, but after a fifth deuce Halep gets another chance to break after the longest rally of the match is settled at the net. And Halep finally breaks when Svitolina sends an errant effort wide! Nearly 20 minutes in, there’s only two games on the board. The Centre Court crowd are already shifting slightly uncomfortably in their seats.
If the first game is anything to go by, Serena and Strycova can put their feet up. Halep holds after nine minutes
— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 11, 2019
First set: Svitolina* 0-1 Halep (*denotes next server)
Ladies and gentlemen, Halep will serve first. However she promptly drags a backhand wide before dumping another into the net. The camera pans to Svitolina’s boyfriend, Gael Monfils, for the first of probably 173 times this afternoon. Halep steadies herself for 30-all, after a lengthy exchange in which both players hit cleanly without showing any willingness to pull the trigger. 40-30. Deuce. Already we’ve seen several draining rallies. Advantage Svitolina, a first break point in the first game. Halep hits deep. Deuce. Advantage Svitolina. Deuce. Advantage Halep. Deuce. Advantage Svitolina. And Halep breathes a huge sigh of relief when her forehand catches the outside of the line! The way these two are going it’ll be nightfall by time Serena Williams makes it on to court. But Halep then decides to get down to business. The former world No 1 takes the next two points to hold, but that was an almighty opening scrap.
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Beautiful summer’s day as Halep and Svitolina warm up for the first women’s semi-final. At Roland Garros, this would feel an entirely predictable semi-final. Here, not so much. pic.twitter.com/ftLlgQTbZf
— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 11, 2019
Expect an intense physical baseline battle between two of the best athletes in the game. Svitolina leads their head-to-head 4-2 but will want to forget their only other meeting at a grand slam. The Ukrainian lost to the Romanian in the 2017 French Open quarter-finals, holding a match point in the second set before being thumped 6-0 in the third.
“I think I’m a little bit different player now,” says Svitolina. “I’m playing free, I’m playing decent tennis. It’s the first time that we play in a semi-final, it’s going to be interesting for both of us.”
Meanwhile Halep says her 2014 Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Eugenie Bouchard will not be on her mind. “I’m a different person,” says last year’s French Open champion. “Everything changed.
“I have a lot of experience now. I’m more confident. I love grass – it’s first time that I have said that. I think it’s a big challenge for me, the next match. But I will take it like I took every match since I’m here. I’m relaxed. I’m happy. I’m motivated to win.”
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As the clock strikes one here they come, Elina Svitolina just ahead of Simona Halep.
A piece of #Wimbledon history…@DylanAlcott wins the first competitive quad wheelchair singles match at The Championships by beating Koji Sugeno in straight sets pic.twitter.com/998DWA6Gg0
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2019
Disappointment for Britain’s Anton Matusevich in the boys’ singles. The 18-year-old defeated the top seed yesterday but has been soundly beaten by Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarter-finals.
And some reading to throw your way:
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They’re gone! Murena/SerAndy was fun while it lasted. Let’s hope they hook up again sometime. Here are the highlights of their defeat along with the rest of yesterday’s action:
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It’s on! Nadal is out practising ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final with Federer, their first meeting here since that 2008 final. If you can’t wait until tomorrow, hopefully this will keep you going:
Today's order of play
Centre Court
13:00: (8) Elina Svitolina (Ukr) v (7) Simona Halep (Rom), (11) Serena Williams (USA) v Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Cze), (3) Raven Klaasen (Rsa) & Michael Venus (Nzl) v (2) Juan Sebastian Cabal (Col) & Robert Farah (Col)
No 1 Court
13:00: (11) Nicolas Mahut (Fra) & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (Fra) v Ivan Dodig (Cro) & Filip Polasek (Svk), (1) Bruno Soares (Bra) & Nicole Melichar (USA) v Matwe Middelkoop (Ned) & Zhaoxuan Yang (Chn), Robert Lindstedt (Swe) & Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) v (12) Franko Skugor (Cro) & Raluca Olaru (Rom)
No 2 Court
11:00: Jeremy Bates (Gbr) & Andrew Castle (Gbr) v Wayne Ferreira (Rsa) & Mark Woodforde (Aus), Anne Keothavong (Gbr) & Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spa) v Iva Majoli (Cro) & Magdalena Maleeva (Bul), (5) Wesley Koolhof (Ned) & Kveta Peschke (Cze) v Artem Sitak (Nzl) & Laura Siegemund (Ger), Mansour Bahrami (Irn) & Chris Wilkinson (Gbr) v Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) & Todd Woodbridge (Aus)
No 3 Court
11:00: Anton Matusevich (Gbr) v (8) Shintaro Mochizuki (Jpn), (1) Emma Navarro (USA) v (6) Natsumi Kawaguchi (Jpn), Nicolas Alvarez Varona (Spa) & Juan Bautista Torres (Arg) v (2) Shintaro Mochizuki (Jpn) & Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune (Den), (3) Natsumi Kawaguchi (Jpn) & Adrienn Nagy (Hun) v Polina Kudermetova (Rus) & Giulia Morlet (Fra)
Court 5
11:00: Arthur Fery (Gbr) & Toby Samuel (Gbr) v Taha Baadi (Can) & Filip Cristian Jianu (Rom), Savannah Broadus (USA) & Abigail Forbes (USA) v Weronika Baszak (Pol) & Martyna Kubka (Pol), Eliot Spizzirri (USA) & Tyler Zink (USA) v Jacob Fearnley (Gbr) & Connor Thomson (Gbr), Holly Fischer (Gbr) & Matilda Mutavdzic (Gbr) v (7) Chloe Beck (USA) & Emma Navarro (USA)
Court 6
11:00: Linda Fruhvirtova (Cze) & Kristyna Lavickova (Cze) v (2) Alina Charaeva (Rus) & Anastasia Tikhonova (Rus), Funa Kozaki (Jpn) & Amarissa Kiara Toth (Hun) v Carlota Martinez Cirez (Spa) & Ane Mintegi Del Olmo (Spa), Flavio Cobolli (Ita) & Dominic Stephan Stricker (Swi) v Brandon Nakashima (USA) & Valentin Royer (Fra), Cannon Kingsley (USA) & Alexander Zgirovsky (Bel) v (6) Shunsuke Mitsui (Jpn) & Keisuke Saitoh (Jpn)
Court 8
11:00: Polina Kudermetova (Rus) v Daria Snigur (Ukr), Dalibor Svrcina (Cze) v Carlos Gimeno Valero (Spa), (1) Jonas Forejtek (Cze) & Jiri Lehecka (Cze) v Tristan Schoolkate (Aus) & Dane Sweeny (Aus), (8) Hurricane Tyra Black (USA) & Shavit Kimchi (Isr) v Aubane Droguet (Fra) & Selena Janicijevic (Fra)
Court 12
11:00: (4) Martin Damm (USA) v (10) Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (Spa), (10) Alexa Noel (USA) v Priska Madelyn Nugroho (Ina), (3) Martin Damm (USA) & Toby Kodat (USA) v Andrew Paulson (Cze) & Eric Vanshelboim (Ukr), Kamilla Bartone (Lat) & Oksana Selekhmeteva (Rus) v Robin Montgomery (USA) & Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Col)
Court 18
11:00: (17) Harold Mayot (Fra) v Illya Beloborodko (Ukr), Elsa Jacquemot (Fra) v (4) Diane Parry (Fra), (7) Liam Draxl (Can) & Govind Nanda (USA) v Baptiste Anselmo (Fra) & Loris Pourroy (Fra), Valentina Ryser (Swi) & Alexandra Vecic (Ger) v (4) Joanna Garland (Tpe) & Sohyun Park (Kor)
Updated
Preamble
Good afternoon and welcome to our coverage of the women’s semi-finals. While week one was about the coming of Coco, as the newest face in tennis announced herself to Wimbledon and the world in some style, week two has gained a rather more familiar feel, as the four most recognisable and rewarded names in the game seek to further enhance their greatness.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s procession to the semi-finals has seemed almost inevitable, such has been their domination amid the early decimation of the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex Zverev and Dominic Thiem, but Serena Williams’s progress to this stage has been anything but certain. Playing much of this season with an injured knee and much of the past 12 months with the look of a woman who has the weight of history on her mind as she remains one win away from Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slam singles titles, Williams arrived here seriously short of match practice and without a major victory since the 2017 Australian Open when she was two months pregnant. The 37-year-old even admitted this week she sought therapy and apologised to Naomi Osaka for her behaviour after last year’s infamous US Open final.
However Serena has seemed, well, more serene this fortnight, apparently playing pain-free again and surely boosted by the fun she’s had as one half of Murena/SerAndy/why didn’t someone come up with something less daft? and, while their courtship came to an end with defeat in the mixed doubles yesterday, Williams still has a date with destiny in the singles.
This afternoon the seven-times champion meets the unseeded Barbora Strycova, a lesson in perseverance if ever there was one. The crafty Czech is appearing in the last four at a major for the first time in 53 attempts and, at 33, is the oldest grand slam semi-final debutant in the Open era. Strycova will be confident after accounting for Johanna Konta in the quarter-finals but of course Williams – if she is fully firing – is an entirely different proposition. While Williams has been inconsistent during matches, the way she stepped it up in the last few games of her quarter-final suggests her champion spirit is returning.
Williams and Strycova play second, after another match between a former grand slam winner and first-time semi-finalist, as the 2018 French Open champion and former world No 1 Simona Halep plays the Ukrainian eighth seed, Elina Svitolina. Halep reached this stage five years ago but says this is the first year she has learned to love the grass, while Svitolina feels at home here, given she used to live in London and has a British coach.
Let’s say that makes Svitolina an honorary Brit, especially in Konta’s absence. But then come to think of it Williams is too after her partnership with Murray. So there could be an all-British women’s final of sorts on Saturday, which hasn’t happened since 1961. Meanwhile the way the triumvirate of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal is going it’ll probably be at least another 58 years before they let anyone else win a slam.
Play begins at: 1pm BST. Bring your sun cream because it’s going to be hot, hot, hot.
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