LONDON (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka was having a hard time dealing with her Wimbledon quarterfinal opponent's unusual game style. The mistakes were mounting Tuesday. The stress was rising. The deficit was troubling.
As things went awry, Sabalenka would look at her box with a quizzical expression and raise her hands. After missing one forehand off a short ball, she knelt on the grass near the net, the very picture of exasperation. A month after her loss to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, Sabalenka knew she needed to keep her emotions in check and straighten out her strokes.
Did just that, right on time. Sabalenka trailed by a set, then twice was down a break in the third, before grabbing the last three games to return to the semifinals at the All England Club by overcoming 104th-ranked Laura Siegemund 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 at Centre Court.
“She pushed me so much,” said Sabalenka, No. 1 since last October. “After the first set, I was just looking at my box, thinking, ‘Guys, I mean, book the tickets. I think we’re about to leave this beautiful city, country, place.’”
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament where Sabalenka never has been to a title match. She can change that this week if she beats No. 13 Amanda Anisimova of the United States on Thursday. Anisimova reached her first major semifinal since the 2019 French Open, when she was just 17, by getting past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9).
The first men's semifinal was established Tuesday, too: No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, against No. 5 Taylor Fritz.
Sabalenka won the Australian Open twice and the U.S. Open once, and was the runner-up at this year’s Australian Open ( losing to Madison Keys ) and French Open ( losing to Gauff ).
The 27-year-old Belarusian lost in the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2023.
Sabalenka hadn’t dropped a set during this year’s trip to the grass-court major until Tuesday — but she also hadn’t faced an opponent quite like the 37-year-old Siegemund. The German, who eliminated No. 6 Keys last week, was the oldest and by far the lowest-ranked of any woman in the quarterfinals, as well as the one with the fewest career titles (two).
She arrived at Wimbledon with a career record there of 2-5 and with a 4-9 mark on tour in 2025.
But her ability to change the depth, speed, angles and spins of her shots over and over can frustrate any opponent and dull the type of power that Sabalenka brings. And, make no mistake: Sabalenka was frustrated, especially in the final set.
“It's not like it's an annoying game. It’s a smart game. She’s really making everyone work against her,” Sabalenka said. “You know you have to work for every point. It doesn’t matter if you’re a big server, if you're a big hitter. You have to work. You have to run. And you have to earn the win.”
Trailing 4-3 in the last set, Sabalenka broke to open her match-ending run. In the next game, she delivered her lone two aces, at 103 mph and 116 mph.
When Sabalenka produced a volley winner to break again and end things after nearly three hours, she shut her eyes, spread her arms wide and let out a big scream.
What else happened in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Tuesday?
Alcaraz was a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 winner against unseeded Cam Norrie, the last British player in either singles bracket, and 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Fritz recovered from a mid-match lull to reach 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.
Who will play in Wednesday's quarterfinals at the All England Club?
The last two women's quarterfinals are No. 7 Mirra Andreeva vs. Belinda Bencic, and No. 8 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova. The men's matchups are No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 10 Ben Shelton, and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic vs. No. 22 Flavio Cobolli.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
