Wimbledon 2025: Sabalenka and Alcaraz prove their class

Sabalenka bounces back from Paris

Aryna Sabalenka will remain the world No.1 after Wimbledon, regardless of the results that unfold this fortnight, and she proved why on Centre Court.

The top seed recalibrated her game to defy the crafty world No.104 Laura Siegemund for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 escape act, drawing inspiration from Paris heartbreak.

“That was a real task. Honestly, I have no idea how I was able to hold myself and to be emotionally so prepared and focused,” said Sabalenka, who was transported back to her Roland-Garros final loss last month.

“It was very, very tough. You’re always out of the rhythm. You just have to mentally win the match, be ready to fight for every point. There was no easy points.

“I have to watch both matches, but it felt like she was trying to do maybe not the same game style that Coco (Gauff) was doing against me in Roland-Garros, because today was also windy. I think there was some similarity in the game. I'm really proud that I handled myself really well and I didn't repeat the same mistake I did at Roland-Garros.

“Honestly, I think there's a big possibility that I would have lose this match if I didn't learn that lesson at the French Open. In some moments I just kept reminding myself, ‘Come on, it's the quarter-final of Wimbledon, you cannot give up, you cannot let the emotions just take over you and lose another match.

“I was just reminding myself that it's my dream, why would I give up so easily, so I have to keep fighting.”

19 and counting for ‘Charly’

The All England Club has the name ‘Carlos Alcaraz’ scribed onto the Roll of Honour in 2023 and 2024. In this form, it could well be 2025.

The all-smiling Spaniard conjured up his 19th Wimbledon win in a row with an emphatic 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 scoreline over home hope Cameron Norrie.

“Today was a great, great match. I think the best match so far in the tournament. Just really happy to see myself just keep going, keep improving after every match, each day,” declared the reigning Roland-Garros champion.

“I'm going to try to make the most of these two days just to be in a good shape for another semi-final at Wimbledon.”

His serve was the key component in comparison with his other matches during The Championships. 13 aces, 72 per cent of first serves landed, with the box office 22-year-old claiming 49/55 of those points. It was a masterclass.

“I started to feel really comfortable serving in (Andrey) Rublev match,” stated Alcaraz, who is on a 23-match winning streak. “Once you got the good rhythm on the serve, I think is just try to keep it going, trying to feel great.

“On grass when you're serving great, then playing from the baseline or playing the return games, you’re just more confident and just playing more calm and thinking clearly.”

Six years in the making

A teenage Amanda Anisimova burst onto the scene as a teenager and roared into the Roland-Garros 2019 semi-finals.

There have been injuries, time out due to mental health concerns and fluctuating form, however, the American powerhouse is well within the mix at SW19.

The world No.12 pipped the experienced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6(9), before welcoming her nephew onto court during the on-court interview in a real feel-good moment.

Anisimova, a finalist at Queen’s Club in the build-up to Wimbledon, took a well-documented hiatus from the sport in 2023. It’s been some response in the past two seasons.

“I guess (It’s been) a bit of a rollercoaster. I've experienced a lot,” stated the 23-year-old, having compiled her finest Wimbledon campaign thus far.

“I think breaking through when I was a teenager was super special. I feel like I've experienced many different moments, and most importantly, learned a lot of lessons, learned a lot about myself, and how to handle certain situations. I think that's so important, especially early on in this career.

“To be able to have all those experiences already, I think that really helps me now.”

On Wednesday, the women’s semi-final quartet will be complete. No.7 seed Mirra Andreeva and the comeback queen Belinda Bencic will duel on Centre Court.

Then, the ever-improving grass court skills of Iga Swiatek will be put to the test by No.19 seed Liudmila Samsonova.

Fritz battles into Final Four

Taylor Fritz stands in two-time defending champion Alcaraz’s path to the trophy showdown.

The No.5 seed has been left devastated by two previous Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2022 and 2024 ending in a fifth-set defeat. Not this time.

Fritz, champion in Stuttgart and Eastbourne on the road to SW19, held off Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4).

So who will join the semi-final roster? Flavio Cobolli – breaking new ground on the major stage this fortnight – faces his idol, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic on Centre Court.

Later on Wednesday, world No.1 Jannik Sinner will vie for a Final Four ticket over the net from the firecracker Ben Shelton.