Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona
Halep headlines the 2022 Wimbledon women’s semifinals following an
upset-laden tournament.
No. 3 seed Ons Jabeur is the only
player seeded inside the top 15 still active in pursuit of the major
title on the grass courts of the All England Club. She’ll face off
with Tatjana Maria, while Halep takes on Elena Rybakina during
Thursday’s penultimate round.
Let’s check out all of the important
details for the semis as Wimbledon winds toward its conclusion this
weekend. That’s followed by a closer look at both matchups.
Viewing Information
When: Thursday, July 7 at 8 a.m. ET
Watch: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Match Previews
(3) Ons Jabeur vs. Tatjana Maria
Maria has emerged as the feel-good
story of the tournament. She’s reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal
for the first time at the age of 34 after advancing no further than
the third round in 34 previous appearances in majors.
Her career-best run hasn’t been a fluke
as it’s featured three wins over seeded opponents: No. 5 Maria
Sakkari, No. 12 Jelena Ostapenko and No. 26 Sorana Cîrstea.
Yet, despite the on-court
accomplishments, she’s keeping things in perspective as she stands
two wins away from a Grand Slam title.
“I think for me, that’s the most
important in my life, to be a mom of my two kids. Nothing will change
this,” Maria told reporters. “I’m in the semifinal of
Wimbledon, it’s crazy, but I’m still a mom. After this I will go out
over there and I will see my kids and I will do the same thing what I
do every single day.”
It’ll mark her fourth career WTA Tour
meeting with Jabeur, who holds a 2-1 advantage in those prior
matchups. They haven’t faced off since 2018, though.
Jabeur has enjoyed a breakout stretch
that included titles in the Madrid Open in May and the German Open in
June. Like Maria, she’s making her first appearance at this stage of
a major.
The 27-year-old Tunisian dropped the
first set against Marie Bouzkova before storming back by dropping
just two games over the last two sets to advance. She held a 20-5
edge in winners during that comeback.
Jabeur hadn’t lost a set in the
tournament before the opener against Bouzkova, and her recent form
suggests she’s the favorite in the first semifinal.
(16) Simona Halep vs. (17) Elena
Rybakina
Halep captured the Wimbledon title in
2019, which marked her second career Grand Slam triumph after winning
the 2018 French Open.
Her results faded over the past couple
years while she dealt with injuries, but she’s returned to form on
the grass with two straight semifinal appearances in the warm-up
events followed by at least matching that result at the All England
Club.
She’s yet to drop a set in the
tournament, including dominant victories over No. 4 Paula Badosa in
the fourth round and No. 20 Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals.
“I struggled a lot last year and
now I’m just trying to build my confidence back,” Halep told
reporters. “… I’m very emotional right now, because it means a
lot to be back in the semis.”
Rybakina is another first-time major
semifinalist. Her best previous result was reaching the quarters of
last year’s French Open.
Her comeback against Ajla Tomljanovic
in the quarters on Wednesday was fueled by her serve. She had 10 aces
over the final two sets, and a similar performance will be necessary
against a strong returner in Halep to have a chance to reach the
final.
Halep owns a 2-1 advantage in their
prior meetings, and their most recent meeting at the 2021 U.S.
Open was a tight three-set victory for the Romanian former world No. 1.
Another close, hard-fought encounter is likely
on tap in the Wimbledon semis.
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