Women’s semi-finals day at Wimbledon is becoming a tradition as my mum managed to get tickets for Centre Court. I don’t know how she does it as they were great seats again! We enjoyed the two weeks prior tracking the draws and matches to see who we might see. This year’s line-up was very different to last year’s and I was especially happy that Mum got to see Sabalenka live. It was a roasting hot day so we were very thankful to be in the shade. 

The Semi-finals 🎾

Amanda Anisimova d. Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4 4-6 6-4 (SF, Centre Court)

I had goosebumps for the last 15 minutes which I think says it all about this match. I had high hopes for Sabalenka-Anisimova which is often a bad sign 😂. Thankfully the first of the semi-finals did not disappoint at all and it was a fantastic contest of pure power hitting. I need to watch it back on TV. I think it will be in consideration for one of the matches of the year.

The first two sets were ultimately decided on double faults with just the one break of serve in each set. Sabalenka double faulted down break point/set point at *4-5 in the first set as she succumbed to Anisimova’s pressure on return in a six-deuce game. Anisimova had started the match in sensational form and experienced a brief dip at *3-3 in the second set with a string of errors into the net and a double fault down break point to gift Sabalenka the advantage.

Sabalenka broke Anisimova’s serve at the start of the third set in convincing fashion. At this moment, I thought Sabalenka was the heavy favourite and i’d kind of written off Anisimova already. I’m sorry, Amanda. I thought it was going to be so hard for Anisimova to maintain this level against the charging juggernaut that is Sabalenka. I was so impressed how Anisimova kept on charging forward and didn’t back off as she kept pounding her groundstrokes. Have I already mentioned that the backhand is an absolute dream?

Anisimova was so aggressive on return and exposed Sabalenka’s serve which wasn’t really on it all tournament. I think the key stat for the match was on second serve points – Anisimova won 60% of second serve points compared to Sabalenka’s 44%. I also think Sabalenka was generally unclutch on break points and this is something I noticed against Raducanu. Although she was ultimately better in the big moments against Raducanu, she was punished in this semi-final with so many returns dumped into the net. Sabalenka converted just three of 14 break point opportunities.

Anisimova had a match point at *5-3 in the third set but couldn’t get the job done. Breaking for the win is often easier and this proved the case as Anisimova maintained her dominance on return. I will never forget that Anisimova forehand winner landing in the corner – I wasn’t expecting it to go in, or be a winner, so it took me completely by surprise!

It was another heartbreaker for Sabalenka. I never felt like she was in full flow at this tournament and was mostly gritting and toughing her way through these matches. The match felt a little like the Australian Open final – Anisimova simply outplayed Sabalenka and was the better player on the day. Anisimova was rewarded for her bold shotmaking in the crucial moments. It was Anisimova’s time and it was such a thrill to witness that live in person. I’ve always been high on Amanda and she’s often featured in my end-of-season predictions. I’m gutted what happened in Saturday’s final but it was still a great two weeks and hopeful that it will be a springboard to even more success.

There was a little bit of aggro in the second set – Sabalenka didn’t like it when Anisimova did an extended grunt/celebration on a point before Sabalenka had a chance to get a racquet on the ball. Sabalenka said something to the umpire who then seemed to have a word with Anisimova who retaliated with “I’m grunting just like her”. To be honest, fair point! I was glad to see them hug at the net and Anisimova was classy with what felt like genuine words of admiration towards Sabalenka in the post-match interview.

Iga Swiatek d. Belinda Bencic, 6-2 6-0 (SF, Centre Court)

The two semi-finals were complete polar opposites – the first one was to and fro and impossible to call while the second one was one-sided and the writing was on the wall pretty much from the first game. Bencic had a nasty slip on the grass in just the second game of the match and never really settled. I was already worried for Belinda after she was clearly wincing at the end of her quarter-final win over Mirra Andreeva – she revealed in her post-match interview that she thought it was a cracked nail. Bencic started to find some rhythm on her service games midway through the first set. However, it was shortlived as Swiatek won the last eight games of the match.

Iga was simply awesome and it was fascinating to see her peaking on grass. Swiatek was dynamic, intense and unrelenting in her dominance. The thing I noted was how she managed to force a short reply from Bencic with a decent serve or a deep, penetrating groundstroke and then she was absolutely lethal in swatting away the next ball, often for a winner into the corner. There’s really not much more to add. Peak Iga and what an incredible run to the title. I didn’t see it coming 🤔.

Around the grounds 🌱

The grounds were as busy as ever and it was overwhelming in the heat. We tried the Wimbledon shop under No.1 Court twice but both times ther queues were out the door so we didn’t bother.

We tried the Frictionless store in the Walled Garden Larder (p16 of the 2025 ticket holders handbook). This is on the lower level where Court 19 used to be. You scan your card or payment device at the entrance and then the gate opens allowing you to enter the store. You pick up what you want and then simply walk out. Everyone was hesitant to leave as it felt so odd not physically paying! There are 50 cameras with AI technology which help to process your purchase. They sell strawberries which was great as we struggled to find them out without long queues last year. The strawberries have gone up in price from £2.50 to £2.70 – they are still terrific value compared to everything else!

Our seats on Centre Court were in Gangway 204 and row E. They were behind the umpire and higher up than last year so we could see both sides of the court. They were great for taking photos. Any seat in Centre is awesome. Once again we seemed to be in a debenture section as people around us had wristbands on.

There were three medical emergencies on Centre Court with spectators being taken ill – the most i’ve seen in one day. The weather was brutal and I think if I had a choice, I would not purchase tickets in the East stands as you’re going to be in the sun all day. I was disappointed not to see the whole mixed doubles final. The heat was tough and the trains were an absolute nightmare. Thursday has a nice schedule!

FPAs 😎

I’m always on the hunt for FPAs (famous person alert). Our first FPA was sat on a bench in the tunnels underneath Centre Court as the two main interviewers, Rishi Prasad and Lee McKenzie, walked past chatting to each other. We saw Rishi walk past several times.

We were scanning the Royal Box for celebs – we spotted Bjorn Borg, Stephen Fry, Ellie Goulding, Rob Brydon, Fiona Shaw and Annabel Croft.

Snap of the day 📸

Iga is one of my favourite players to photograph because of her dynamicity.

Highlights 📺