Wimbledon Women’s Day 9

Roland Garros finalist Jasmine Paolini unleashed her game on Emma Navarro, with the Italian seventh seed reaching her second consecutive Grand Slam semi-final on Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of the American at Wimbledon.

Navarro offered only moderate resistance as she went down to defeat in 57 minutes.

Paolini is the first Italian woman to reach a Wimbledon semi-final; she had never won a match here before this edition..

“It’s unbelievable, amazing to get the win on this special Centre Court,” the winner said. 

“I’m so happy to be in the semi-finals, I don’t know what to say at the moment.

This first semi-final is so special.

“It’s a dream to be in this position, it’s strange to be here. I played a really good match, she has beaten me three times in the past year.”

Donna Vekic, Paolini’s next opponent, came full circle after serious knee problems in 2021 and 2022 as the Croat booked a breakthrough Grand Slam semi-final with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win over qualifying surprise packet Lulu Sun.

The No. 37 won seven of the last eight games as she powered up to victory 11 years after her Wimbledon debut as a teenager.

The winner was close to tears and completely exhausted after her victory over her New Zealand opponent, who was raised in Switzerland and played college tennis for the University of Texas.

Vekic had to stage a comeback over her 123rd-ranked opponent, playing only her second time at a major.

The Croat won 15 consecutive points for a 3-0 lead in the final set and  advanced into the final four on the first of three match points as Sun sent a backhand return long.

“It was a really tough match, she played unbelievable,” Vekic said. “She pushed me to my limits.

“I felt like I was dying out there in the fit two sets.two sets. But I just kept going hoping to have a chance. It came at the end.”

Sun was the first Kiwi in the Open Era to get this far at Wimbledon.

Vekic was playing her third Grand Slam quarter-final (2019 US Open and 2023 Australian Open) and had never been to the semis.

She is the first Croat semi-finalist since Mirjana Lucic in 1999.