Wimbledon: Sabalenka Eyes First Title as Swiatek Showdown Looms

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is on the verge of reaching her first Wimbledon final, aiming for a fourth consecutive Grand Slam final appearance as she prepares to face American Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Sabalenka, 27, breezed through the early rounds at the All England Club without dropping a set but endured a tough quarter-final test against Germany’s Laura Siegemund. After being broken twice in the deciding set, she fought back to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a grueling three-hour encounter.

The Belarusian, a three-time major champion and reigning US Open winner, seeks redemption after falling short in both the Australian Open and French Open finals earlier this year.

Standing in her way is 13th-seeded Anisimova, who has defeated Sabalenka in five of their eight previous meetings. However, the world No. 1 claimed their most recent encounter at Roland Garros. The 23-year-old American, who made a remarkable return from a mental health break in 2024, is now ranked in the top 10 and has equaled her best Grand Slam performance from the 2019 French Open.

“Grass really suits her game,” Sabalenka said of her opponent. “She’s serving well and hitting clean, powerful shots. It’s going to be an aggressive match.”

Anisimova echoed that sentiment, describing their matches as intense battles between two big hitters. “We always push each other to play our best,” she said.

If Sabalenka advances, she could face five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s final. Swiatek, currently ranked fourth in the world, plays Swiss Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the other semi-final.

Swiatek, 24, has dropped just one set en route to the semi-finals, maintaining a low profile as several top seeds exited early. She’s enjoying her most successful grass-court campaign yet, reaching her first grass final at Bad Homburg last month.

The Polish star, who won junior Wimbledon in 2018, said she has worked hard to adapt her game to the surface.

“I’m proud of the progress I’ve made on grass,” Swiatek said after her quarter-final win over Liudmila Samsonova. “It’s an amazing feeling to be this deep in the tournament.”

Bencic, also a former junior Wimbledon champion, returned to competition in October after giving birth to her daughter, Bella. The 28-year-old praised her support system for helping her manage both motherhood and elite tennis.