Aryna Sabalenka lets everyone know just how much the victory meant to her. —AP
LONDON—World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka clawed her way into the Wimbledon semifinals on Tuesday with a gritty 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback win over Germany’s Laura Siegemund in a match loaded with drama and tension.
Twice down a break in the final set and on the verge of elimination, Sabalenka summoned her trademark power and determination to escape after two hours and 54 minutes of compelling tennis on Centre Court. The Belarusian star, a three-time Grand Slam champion, is now into her third Wimbledon semifinals, adding to her deep runs in 2021 and 2023.
“That was a real test,” Sabalenka said. “After the first set I was thinking, ‘book the tickets, we are about to leave this beautiful place.’ She pushed me so much. I’m just super happy with the match and the win.”
Sabalenka remains the only one of the top six women’s seeds still in the draw after a tournament riddled with early upsets. She is set to face either American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova or Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a spot in the final—her fourth straight Grand Slam title match if she gets through.
Yet it nearly didn’t happen.
Siegemund, ranked No. 104 and better known for her doubles prowess, took the first set and broke twice in the decider, exploiting Sabalenka’s miscues and playing with measured aggression. With a victory over Australian Open champion Madison Keys already under her belt this fortnight, the 37-year-old German threatened to add another scalp.
Polarizing
Sabalenka’s frustration showed in a double fault and two unforced errors early in the third set. But she held her nerve, broke back, and let out a roar of relief after sealing match point.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a big hitter, big server—you have to work, you have to run and to earn the victory,” she said. “I had to make sure I didn’t show I was annoyed by her, even if I was slightly. I didn’t want to give her that energy.”
Off-court, Siegemund addressed her polarizing on-court penchant for taking advantage of the sport’s gray areas in a recent interview and insisted she has no intentions of changing.
“You know, things happen. I don’t necessarily like or seek to make trouble, that’s not my goal,” she was quoted by The Athletic as saying. “I have my weird stuff going on. I’ve been doing it all my life. I was always slow, talking about time violations and stuff. That’s nothing that just got invented now.”
“I don’t change my time or how I behave on the court depending on who I have on the other side,” she added. “I do it for me and not against others, but it does lead to confrontation sometimes.”
Despite the tension, Sabalenka held her focus.
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“It is tough, but beautiful,” she said. “If you make the second week, it means you are achieving your goals and dreams.” —AFP
