Sabalenka faces Anisimova in Wimbledon semis

London, July 10: 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).

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.

"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."

The first men's semifinal was established Tuesday, too: No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, against No. 5 Taylor Fritz.

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.(AP)