Wimbledon Semifinal Preview:
And then there were four. The most prestigious tennis tournament is down to the final four. In the men’s draw, the stage is set for a rematch of a previous major final with an ageless wonder. For the women, the lone defending champion eyes a second title at SW19.
Gentlemen’s Singles Semifinals
#3 Carlos Alcaraz vs #5 Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev survived a five-set match against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, while Carlos Alcaraz overcame a 72 minute first set loss to Tommy Paul and rallied to close out the match in four sets. This is a rematch of last year’s semifinal which saw Alcaraz routinely cruise to a straight set victory on his way to his maiden SW19 title. This will be the third meeting between these two. Medvedev won the first encounter in straight sets. In New York at the US Open, Medvedev pulled off a minor upset with a four-set victory over the Spaniard. Alcaraz holds a record of 4-2 against Medvedev, with the two losses coming in majors. The contrast in styles is an interesting dynamic to keep an eye on. Alcaraz plays an all-court style that is entertaining to watch, while Medvedev’s elite groundstrokes bolster his game. Medvedev is the only major champion of his generation, what better matchup than to face the finest of the next gen.
#2 Novak Djokovic vs #25 Lorenzo Musetti
The 25th seeded Italian pulled off an upset of American Taylor Fritz to make the semis, while Djokovic advanced following the withdrawal of Alex De Minaur to make another Wimbledon semifinal. Novak’s record speaks for itself appearing in the semifinals of Wimbledon every year since 2017. Djokovic holds a record of 5-1 against Musetti, with the Italian’s only win coming last year on the clay of Monte Carlo. Musetti and Djokovic met in the third round of the French Open where the underdog Italian forced Novak to a fifth set. This match is an example of recent success compared to veteran experience. Musetti has arguably had one of the best grass court seasons on tour with a finals appearance in Queen’s Club, a semifinal finish in Stuttgart, and a trip to the semifinals of Wimbledon. Djokovic sees his toughest test of the Championships yet, with a grass minded Musetti hoping to pull off another upset.
Ladies’ Singles
#7 Jasmine Paolini vs Donna Vekic
The feel-good story of Wimbledon must be Donna Vekic. At one point, it seemed as if Vekic may quit tennis all together. Instead, she gets to play in a major semifinal. This position is recently familiar with Paolini who made the French Open final. Paolini holds a 2-1 record against Vekic with all three matches coming on hard court. The stat that sticks out on the two runs to the semis is that Paolini has spent two less hours on court. Vekic has much more experience on tour, but that experience will see its toughest test on Thursday.
#4 Elena Rybakina vs #31 Barbora Krecjikova
Both these two former major champions, collide in the Wimbledon semis with hopes to add a second major title to their name. Rybakina, the champion of 2022, is as red hot as ever. Her quarterfinal trouncing of Elena Svitolina is evidence of exactly that. Krecjikova, champion of Roland Garros in 2021 has found her stride, evidenced in a tough two set victory against Jelena Ostapenko. Krecjikova holds a 2-0 record against Rybakina with both wins coming on hard court with the most recent encounter two years ago. Rybakina was a completely different player compared to now and comes in as the massive favorite for the semifinal.
Stay tuned on ESN for more on Wimbledon 2024.
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