World number one Aryna Sabalenka narrowly avoided a major upset on Tuesday as she battled past Germany’s Laura Siegemund to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a gripping encounter lasting two hours and 54 minutes.
The 27-year-old Belarusian, heavily tipped as the title favourite following a string of early exits by her main rivals, had to come from a break down twice in the deciding set to overcome Siegemund, the 104th-ranked player who had never before advanced beyond the second round at SW19.
Siegemund, 37, used her signature slices, slow tempo and clever returning to frustrate Sabalenka throughout the match. Known for her doubles success, the German nearly engineered one of the shocks of the tournament with a performance that defied her ranking.
“After the first set I was looking at my box and thinking, ‘Book the tickets, we are about to leave,’” Sabalenka admitted afterwards. “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.”
The match was anything but straightforward for Sabalenka. Under a blazing sun on Centre Court, she struggled early, holding serve just once in the first set – and even that required three deuce games. Despite breaking back when Siegemund served for the set at 5-2, Sabalenka handed it away with a netted return in the very next game.
The world No. 1 left the court after the first set and returned with renewed focus, quickly going 2-0 up in the second. Although she was broken straight back, she steadied herself and reeled off four consecutive games to force a decider.
An early break to love by Siegemund in the third looked ominous, especially as Sabalenka failed to convert multiple chances to break back immediately, falling to her knees in frustration after missing a key passing shot at 3-1 down.
But Sabalenka dug in, breaking back to level the set before giving up her serve again. As the match tightened, it was the Belarusian who held her nerve when it mattered most, breaking once more before finishing with a smash at the net – and a deep sigh of relief.
Reflecting on her performance, Sabalenka credited lessons learned from her French Open final defeat to Coco Gauff. “I think there’s a big possibility I would have lost this match if I hadn’t learnt that lesson,” she said. “I’m really proud that I handled myself really well and didn’t repeat the same mistake I did in Paris.”
She added: “It doesn’t matter if you are a big-hitter or a big server – you have to work, run and earn the victory. It is tough, but beautiful.”
Sabalenka now faces 13th seed Amanda Anisimova for a place in her first Wimbledon final, after the American dispatched Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (11-9).
While Sabalenka survived, the match was a testament to Siegemund’s tenacity and tactical brilliance. Though her run has come to an end, she departs Wimbledon having given the world number one her toughest test yet.
