A Wimbledon champion, a tough veteran, a Fighting Italian, and--of course!--a Czech survive the field

🤩 @BKrejcikova into her first #Wimbledon singles semifinal pic.twitter.com/548UxluJkn

— wta (@WTA) July 10, 2024

I can't remember the last time that I called all four quarterfinals of a major correctly, but I got it right this time. There was a lot of talk about how "open" the draw was, but was it really? Had Aryna Sabalenka played, yes, that would have made a difference. But Iga Swiatek still isn't ready to win Wimbledon, Karolina Muchova is still finding her way back (and getting injured again), and Ons Jabeur's game was just more vulnerable than it was in 2023.

The big question, for me, was "Is Elena Rybakina healthy?" The 2022 champion has suffered from some type of chronic illness for a few months, and none of us knew whether she had recovered when she entered the Wimbledon event. It appears that she has, which is great news, and today, she defeated Elina Svitolina in straight sets (6-3, 6-2).

Also today, Barbora Krejcikova, who hasn't had an easy time of it lately, defeated Alona Ostapenko 6-4, 7-6. The Czech star has looked like "herself" since arriving in London--using every shot imaginable in the most strategic ways, moving deftly, and serving well. Ostapenko didn't make it easy for Krejcikova--she broke when Krejcikova served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But the 2021 French Open champion held steady and won the tiebreak.

The "surprise" quarterfinal result was Jasmine Paolini's 6-2, 6-1 victory over Emma Navarro. I expected Paolini to win, based on her previous performances on the Wimbledon courts, but I, too, was surprised at how easily she dominated Navarro. Perhaps the most interesting fact is how we suddenly have such high expectations of Navarro--she has made such impressive progress.

Finally, as great as qualifier Lulu Sun's out-of-nowhere run was, only a truly uncharitable person could fail to be happy for Donna Vekic, the talented veteran who has been through so much, all the while showing us so much potential. Vekic loves grass, and her 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Sun places her in the semifinals of her favorite event, and it's just a wonderful thing to see. Sun was impressive, and my instinct is that that this won't be the last time that we see her having a really good run.

Here is the women's singles semifinal draw:

Barbora Krejcikova (31) vs. Elena Rybakina (4)
Donna Vekic vs. Jasmine Paolini (7)

Krejcikova is 2-0 against Rybankina. They have not played one another on grass before. Paolini is 2-1 against Vekic, and they have not played each other on grass before.