Aryana Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates after beating Laura Siegemund of Germany to win a quarterfinal women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo)
It looked like Aryna Sabalenka might be packing her bags.
Frustrated, down a set, and trailing in the third, the top seed at Wimbledon found herself pushed to the edge by 104th-ranked German veteran Laura Siegemund. But with grit, power, and timely poise, Sabalenka turned it around to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 and secure her place in Thursday’s semifinal.
She now faces American Amanda Anisimova in a match that could take her to her first-ever Wimbledon final.
Was Sabalenka about to crash out?
For a while, it seemed so. Siegemund’s crafty, slice-heavy game had Sabalenka out of rhythm and visibly irritated. At one point, after a missed forehand, she knelt on the grass, hands raised, eyes searching her box for answers.
“After the first set, I was thinking, ‘Book the tickets, we’re leaving,’” Sabalenka admitted after the match.
But the two-time Australian Open champion held her nerve. She regrouped, regained control of her game, and surged back just in time—grabbing the last three games to close out the match.
Siegemund’s tricky style nearly pulled off an upset
At 37, Laura Siegemund came into this match as the oldest—and lowest-ranked—player left in the women’s draw. But don’t let the numbers fool you. Her crafty, off-speed, slice-heavy game kept Sabalenka off-balance from the first point.
It wasn’t just “annoying,” as some might call it. Sabalenka gave credit where it was due: “It’s not annoying—it’s smart,” she said. “She makes everyone work so hard. Doesn’t matter if you’re a big hitter or big server—you have to earn it.”
And that’s exactly what Sabalenka did. When she needed it most, she fired off two huge aces and ended the match with a volley winner. Her celebration? A scream, arms stretched wide, and a clear sign of relief.
Who’s next for Sabalenka?
Next up is 13th seed Amanda Anisimova, who eased past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6(9) to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2019.
Once seen as the future of American tennis, Anisimova is finding her form again and is playing with poise and purpose. Thursday’s matchup promises firepower on both sides of the net.
Wimbledon is the only Slam where Sabalenka hasn’t reached the final—yet. Could this be her moment?
What else happened on Tuesday at Wimbledon?
Over in the men’s draw, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Britain’s Cam Norrie in straight sets. He now faces American Taylor Fritz, who survived a four-set battle with Karen Khachanov to book his first Wimbledon semifinal.
What’s ahead in the quarterfinals?
Wednesday brings more high-stakes tennis. Women’s quarterfinals include:
- No. 7 Mirra Andreeva vs. Belinda Bencic
- No. 8 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova
On the men’s side:
- No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 10 Ben Shelton
- Novak Djokovic vs. No. 22 Flavio Cobolli
But all eyes, for now, are on Sabalenka. After two previous semifinal exits at Wimbledon, she's one win away from finally breaking through. Will she do it this time?
