Marie Bouzkova

Markéta Vondroušová advanced to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the first time in her career. The 24-year-old tennis player defeated fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula 6:4, 2:6, 6:4 on the grass at the All England Club after a big turn in the third set.

For the second Grand Slam final and the first since Roland Garros 2019, she will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on Thursday, who knocked out the world number one of Poland Iga Šwiatek after winning 7:5, 6:7, 6:2.

Vondroušová is the third Czech semifinalist at Wimbledon in the last four years. The year before, Karolína Plíšková, who later became a finalist, was among the four best tennis players, in 2019, Barbora Strýcová played in the semifinals.

“It was very difficult and I’m experiencing wonderful feelings now. I’ve never played on court number 1. It’s wonderful. I wanted to fight until the end and now I’m very happy. I can’t even believe it,” said Vondroušová in an interview on the court. She became the third player in the so-called open era to defeat four seeded players on her way to the Wimbledon semifinals. Before that, only the Uncles four years ago and China’s Cheng Jie in 2008 did it.

The Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo Vondroušová once again pushed her Wimbledon maximum, her best finish here was the year before last in the 2nd round. She did not start last year due to a wrist injury. Today, she and compatriot Miriam Kolodziejová were supposed to compete in the doubles round of 16, but the Czech pair withdrew from the duel against the Australian-Belgian pair Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens.

The 42nd player in the world, Vondroušová, started the quarterfinals with a lost serve, but won four games in a row from 0:2. Pegula was able to equalize at 4:4, but then she lost her serve again and the native of Sokol took the lead after 37 minutes. The American paid for 13 unforced errors and made only three winning shots.

But the twenty-nine-year-old native of Buffalo refined her game in the second set. Vondroušová did not offer a single break point and won her serve in the fourth game. She then ended the set with another break and forced a continuation.

The beginning of the third set also went better for Pegula, who won a break in the fourth game. The organizers then reacted to the approaching rain and interrupted the duel for a few tens of minutes to retract the roof.

After the match resumed, the American raced to a 4:1 lead and also had a break point at 5:1. But she didn’t use it and Vondroušová staged a turnaround. Since then, the world number four has allowed only nine fifteens, won four more games in a row and won the victory for her side. She played seven aces and 23 winning balls in the match. Pegulaová did not make it to the Grand Slam semifinals even on the sixth attempt.

Twenty-eight-year-old Svitolina knocked out Roland Garros winner Šwiateková in two hours and 41 minutes. The native of Odessa, who returned this year after a maternity break, is in the semifinals of Wimbledon for the second time in her career. She got into it already four years ago, when she was among the top four players at the subsequent US Open, and it is still her Grand Slam maximum. Vondroušová has played five matches with Svitolina, currently ranked 76th in the world, winning twice. The last time she succeeded was two years ago in the semi-finals of the Olympics in Tokyo.

Adam Pavlásek and Uruguayan Ariel Behar reached the quarter-finals in doubles, beating the Croatian duo of last year’s Wimbledon winners Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavič 6:4, 3:6, 7:5. In the women’s doubles, Marie Bouzková and the Spaniard Sara Sorribes are also at the same stage. Hungarian-Belgian pair Anna Bondárová, Greet Minnenová defeated 6:3, 3:6, 6:3.

Tennis Wimbledon in London (grass, £44.7m endowment):

Women:

Singles – Quarter Finals: Vondroušová (CZ) – Pegulaová (4-USA) 6:4, 2:6, 6:4.

Doubles – 3rd round: BouzkovaSorribesová (Czech Republic/Sp.) – Bondárová, Minnenová (Maď./Belg.) 6:3, 3:6, 6:3.

Men:

Doubles – 3rd round: PavlásekBehar (CZ/Urug.) – Mektič, Pavić (9-Croatia) 6:4, 3:6, 7:5.

Juniors:

Singles – 2nd round: Ghibaudo (Fr.) – Hrazdil (Czech Republic) 6:4, 5:7, 7:6 (10:8).

Junior girls:

Doubles – 1st round: BartůňkováVargová (7-ČR/SR) – Munková Mortensenová, Rabmanová (Dan./USA) 6:2, 6:3, Oluwadareová, Stojsavljevicová (Brit.) – ŠmejkalováSlamová (CZ/USA) 7:5, 6:4.

2023-07-11 14:31:08
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