Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Seeing another drop shot die in the grass, Aryna Sabalenka slapped the net in anger like a jet-lagged traveler smacking her locked hotel-room door.
Down a break in the final set, Sabalenka was on the edge of eviction.
The world No. 1 responded with a three-game rally showing crafty Laura Siegemund the door with a nervy 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 triumph to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
On her second match point, Sabalenka tomahawked a smash to finally end a two hour, 54-minute battle—the third longest women’s match of this 2025 Wimbledon.
It is the third consecutive Wimbledon semifinal for Sabalenka, who is now 12-1 lifetime in career Grand Slam quarterfinals.
US Open champion Sabalenka has reached the finals in five of her last six Grand Slam appearances and now stands one win away from the Wimbledon final.
“It was a real test and honestly I need some time to cool down and recover,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview with BBC. “She pushed me so much. After the first set I was looking at my box thinking guys book the tickets we are about to leave this beautiful country.
“She played an incredible match. I’m just super happy with the win. The atmosphere was just another level. Thank you guys so much for your support. You don’t understand how much you helped me to keep fighting.”
Continuing her quest for a maiden Wimbledon final, Sabalenka will face Amanda Anisimova for a final spot.
The 13th-seeded Anisimova, Tennis Now's pre-tournament Wimbledon Dark Horse pick, saved five set points defeating former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6(9) on No. 1 Court for her first major semifinal since she lost to Ash Barty in the 2019 Roland Garros semifinals.
Anisimova is 5-3 lifetime vs. Sabalenka, but the top seed won their most recent meeting, 7-5, 6-3 in the Roland Garros fourth round last month.
The 37-year-old Siegemund was on the brink of a historic and massive upset when she broke for a 4-3 lead in the final set. Siegemund was two holds away from becoming the oldest woman to defeat a reigning WTA World No. 1 and reach her first major semifinal.
Digging in, Sabalenka didn’t rally with her traditional power-based baseline game. Instead, she played steadier, cracked a couple of aces holding for 5-4 then wore the German veteran down to escape a tense and sometime sloppy match.
Credit world No. 104 Siegemund for throwing the entire tactical toolbox at her powerful opponent. Knowing she couldn’t out-hit Sabalenka, Siegemund deployed her deft drop shot repeatedly—24 drop shots in all—chipped back low returns to force her opponent forward, mixed the body serve with some off-pace delivers, volleyed with confidence and wore the serve clock down to zero (and beyond) slowing the pace (read: stall) to further frustrate Sabalenka.
Some Siegemund serve games resembled the old NCAA four-corner offense as she stood on the line just holding the ball in her hand using every single second of the serve clock forcing the bigger hitter to play at her tempo. Sabalenka said the German’s style is annoying, but she consciously tried to not show too much frustration to fuel the veteran’s skill at pushing her opponent’s buttons.
“She’s really making everyone work—you know you have to work for every point,” Sabalenka said. “If you’re a big hitter, you have to work. You have to run.
“I was just trying to focus on myself and not give her that energy. I didn’t want to let her see I was annoyed by her even though I was at some points I didn’t want to give her that energy.”
A fearless Siegemund showed the tactical acumen she imposed, upsetting Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-3, 6-3, in the third round on No. 2 court.
Deploying her variety, Siegemund repeatedly burned the top seed with the drop shot, closed with conviction at net and attacked the Sabalenka second serve relentlessly.
Banging a backhand return to open with a break, Siegemund surged to a 3-0 double-break lead right out of the box. Sabalenka raced up to a couple of drop shots and responded with re-droppers breaking back for 1-3.
The pair traded breaks in the seventh and eight games—by then, there were five breaks in the first eight games.
Serving for the set, Siegemund hit a rainbow drop shot of the set but made it work covering net and poking a volley for 30-love.
When Sabalenka slapped a forehand return into net, Siegemund snatched a one-set lead in stunning style.
The oldest woman still standing won 12 of 16 points played on the Belarusian’s second serve, converted three of four break points and won six of seven net points in the opening set.
Watching Siegemund chip, slice and drop shot Sabalenka into first-set submission was reminiscent of Hall of Famer Arthur Ashe’s famed observation facing his former doubles partner John McEnroe, the man he called “Mac the Knife.” “A nick here, a slice there, next thing you know, you’ve bled to death,” Ashe observed.
Sabalenka stopped the bleeding in the second set. Playing an angled drop volley winner, Sabalenka broke for 2-0 only to see Siegemund break right back in the third game.
The second set turned on a net duel in the sixth game.
Both women were nearly nose-to-nose at net when Siegemund played a volley right back to the Belarusian who reflexed a forehand volley winner. Though Siegemund was up 40-love in that game, that reflex volley sparked Sabalenka to break for 4-2.
Facing break point in the next game, Sabalenka scraped out a dropper, retreated to catch up to a lob and hit a flying smash while moving backward to save break point and eventually hold for 5-2.
On her second set point, Sabalenka drew a netted backhand scoring her second straight break, and fifth break overall to force a final set.
Down 1-3, Sabalenka broke back to level after six games.
The Siegemund chip return clung to the turf making the 5’11” Sabalenka bend low to dig balls off the lawn. Sabalenka spit up her fourth double fault fo face a second break point.
The Sabalenka scream turned to a squeal of angst as she sailed a forehand wide gifting the break and a 4-3 lead to Siegemund.
The 37-year-old German was two holds away from making history as the oldest woman to defeat a reigning WTA World No. 1.
A stubborn Sabalenka blasted a deep return right down the middle breaking back to level at 4-all.
In the ninth game, Sabalenka slammed her only two aces of the match holding for 5-4. Sabalenka tomahawked that match-ending smash to close in style.
Though this maddening match exposed some head-scratching aspects of the top seed’s game—Sabalenka inexplicably violated a cardinal tennis rule by responding to some drop shots with cross-court replies giving Siegemund clear passing paths, she stubbornly refused to move well inside the baseline to attack the German’s sometimes glacial-paced second serve and her own second serve was attackable (she won only 12 of 36 second-serve points)—in the end she hung on to fight through after dropping a set for the first time in five matches.
If she faces explosive Anisimova for a final spot, it will present a much different challenge, but that will be a clash of first-strike tennis which Sabalenka certainly prefers to the funky, junk ball unsettling style of Siegemund.
“I think it’s tough, but also beautiful,” Sabalenka said. “If you made it to the second week it means you have achieved your goals and your dream. It’s all about balancing hard work is hard work but I think it’s really important and it’s helped me to enjoy these battles.”