[ad_1]
rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic rounded out the Wimbledon 2025 semifinal lineup on Wednesday, joining Tuesday’s quarterfinal winners, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and 13th seed Amanda Anisimova.
Iga Swiatek defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6-2 7-5
In the first quarterfinal from the bottom half of the draw, five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek surged through seven consecutive games to take the opening set and build a 3-0 lead in the second against Liudmila Samsonova. A string of three straight breaks brought the second set back on serve at 4-4, as Samsonova finally found her rhythm.
The Russian came close to forcing a deciding set, but Swiatek held firm, closing out the match 6-2 7-5. Visibly sad and disappointed, Samsonova left the court after another loss to the former world No. 1, who now leads their head-to-head 5-0. This was their first meeting on grass.
Belinda Bencic edges Mirra Andreeva 7-6(3) 7-6(2)
In the last women’s singles quarterfinal at this year’s Wimbledon, Bencic and Mirra Andreeva were evenly matched until 5-5 in the opening set, when the young Russian earned the first break points of the match. Bencic held her nerve and saved both, pushing the set into a tiebreak where her experience and composure made the difference, as she claimed the set on her first set point.
The second set followed a somewhat similar pattern, staying on serve until 4-4. Bencic then broke to edge ahead, but with the pressure mounting at 30-30 on her own serve, Andreeva dug deep, winning an extended rally and a tense exchange to earn a break point, which she successfully converted. After 61 minutes of gripping second-set play and two hours on the clock, the match entered another tiebreak. Once again, Bencic’s poise under pressure prevailed, as the eighth seed clinched the breaker on her first match point to advance.
Bencic won the Wimbledon junior title in 2013, lifted the Eastbourne trophy in 2015, and reached three additional tour-level finals on grass. Yet the main draw at Wimbledon had been a stumbling block—she had lost in the fourth round three times, each time to a former or eventual world No. 1. In 2015, she fell to Victoria Azarenka; in 2018, to eventual champion Angelique Kerber; and in 2023, she held two match points but was denied by Iga Swiatek. Now, after reaching her first Wimbledon quarterfinal, Bencic has broken through to the semifinals and she’ll face Swiatek for the fifth time in their careers.
[ad_2]
Source link
