Sabalenka gets past Siegemund and
faces Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals. Fritz vs. Alcaraz
[July 09, 2025]
By HOWARD FENDRICH
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.
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz serves to Britain's Cameron Norrie during a
quarterfinal men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis
Championships in London, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna
Chan)
“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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