Four players with the goal of winning a maiden Wimbledon title this weekend will take to Centre Court for the women’s semi-finals on Thursday.
Crowd favourite Elina Svitolina takes on Marketa Vondrousova while second seed Aryna Sabalenka could become the world number one when she goes up against Ons Jabeur.
Briton Neal Skupski’s hopes of a men’s doubles title remain alive as he is in the semi-finals while there are three Britons in the last eight of the junior singles events.
Here, the PA news agency unpacks day 11 of the Championships.
‘Super woman’ Svitolina ready to go again
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Elina Svitolina continues her remarkable Wimbledon journey with her first last-four appearance and she will likely have Centre Court on her side against Marketa Vondrousova.
The Ukrainian has channelled the atrocities that are going on in her home country during a thrilling run which has seen her beat grand slam champions Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek.
It is no wonder that Vondrousova has called her opponent “super woman” considering that Svitolina gave birth last October.
But Czech world number 42 Vondrousova has gone under the radar at this tournament and will present Svitolina with a big threat as she enjoys a career-best run in SW19.
Practice partners become foes
After gaining revenge for last year’s final defeat against Elena Rybakina in the quarter-final, things do not get much easier for Ons Jabeur as waiting for her in the last four is Aryna Sabalenka.
Jabeur has been a joy to watch with her industry and craft getting her to this point, but Sabalenka will offer a different proposition.
The Belarusian is playing as well as she ever has, with sheer brute force from the baseline, and she is eyeing a win that would not only take her to a first Wimbledon final but also earn the world number one spot.
Sabalenka is wary of the Tunisian, though, after revealing that they practised together before the tournament and her opponent played “unbelievable”. Jabeur would give anything to bring that level to the match.
Neal carrying the flag
Neal Skupski is the last Briton standing in this year’s tournament as he is into the semi-finals of the men’s doubles with partner Wesley Koolhof.
The Liverpudlian is just two wins away from a Wimbledon hat-trick, having won the mixed doubles in 2021 and 2022, but admits that if he could win with Koolhof, that would be the pinnacle for him.
Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna await in the semi-final, to be played on Court One, and with Skupski being the only adult British player left in the singles or doubles, he will have the home support.
Brit kids rock
The juniors are making waves with 14-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic, 18-year-old Ranah Stoiber and 17-year-old Henry Searle ensuring there are three British singles players in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2018.
Stojsavljevic, ranked 282nd and making her Wimbledon debut, meets Slovakian fifth seed Renata Jamrichova, while Stoiber, who is in her final year of juniors, will next face Czech Nikola Bartunkova.
Searle, from Wolverhampton and in his second successive grand slam quarter-final, took out top seed Juan Carlos Prado Angelo in the first round and on Wednesday beat France’s Arthur Gea to set up a clash with eighth seed Joao Fonseca.
Order of playCentre Court
Elina Svitolina v Marketa Vondrousova
Ons Jabeur v Sabalenka
Mate Pavic/Lyudmyla Kichenok v Joran Vliegen/Xu Yifan
Court One
Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz v Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos
Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski v Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden
Alfie Hewett/Gordon Reid v Martin De La Puente/Gustavo Fernandez
Venus King/Yaroslava Shvedova v Cara Black/Caroline Wozniacki
Weather
Warm and staying dry
Top seed Sinner withdraws from Madrid Open ahead of quarter-finals
Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Madrid Open due to a hip injury ahead of his scheduled quarter-final clash with Felix Auger Aliassime.
The world number two was due to face Auger Aliassime for a place in the semi-finals after fighting back to overcome Karen Khachanov in three sets on Tuesday.
However, the Italian has been advised to withdraw to avoid aggravating an issue with his right hip, which he says has troubled him throughout the tournament.
Sinner, who is 28-2 for the season and won his first grand slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year, wrote on X: "Very sad to have to withdraw from my next match here in Madrid.
"My hip has been bothering me this week and has slowly been getting more painful. Taking the advice from the doctors, we decided it's best to not play further and make it worse."
Sinner's withdrawal means Auger Aliassime will advance to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final since 2022, with Daniil Medvedev or Jiri Lehecka – who eliminated Rafael Nadal on Tuesday – up next for the Canadian.
On the other side of the draw, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz suffered a surprise exit at the hands of Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, with the Russian set to face either Taylor Fritz or Francisco Cerundolo in the last four.
Alcaraz sees Madrid Open reign ended by Rublev in last eight
Carlos Alcaraz saw his hopes of a third straight Madrid Open crown dashed on Wednesday, as Andrey Rublev fought back to seal a statement quarter-final win over the defending champion.
Alcaraz had been pushed close in the last 16 by Jan-Lennard Struff on Tuesday, requiring two tie-breaks to see off the German in three sets, and those exertions seemed to take their toll as he produced a below-par display on Wednesday.
Seven unforced errors from Rublev helped the home favourite take the opener, but he appeared to tire from there as his seventh-seeded opponent fired in 27 winners in a 4-6 6-3 6-2 victory.
Rublev broke Alcaraz's serve in the first and fifth games of the decider, also serving impressively to deny the Spaniard a single break point after a nervous first hold.
Alcaraz's exit ended home interest in the tournament, just one day after five-time champion Rafael Nadal was dumped out in the last 16 by Jiri Lehecka.
Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, Rublev said: "I can't believe that I was able to stay calm throughout the match. I didn't say a word and even I'm impressed by that!
"I want to believe that I have been working on this because if not, then I'm stupid. I just thought to myself to keep trying, keep fighting, keep believing in yourself."
Data Debrief: Major scalp for Rublev
To say Rublev entered Wednesday's match as the underdog would be an understatement. Alcaraz was looking to become the first player to win three straight Madrid Open singles titles, and was 24-0 in Spanish clay-court events since the start of 2022.
Rublev, though, was not overawed by the occasion and punished a sluggish performance from the world number three. Wednesday's win was his first over a top-three opponent since 2022, and he will now face either Taylor Fritz or Francisco Cerundolo in the last four.
Rybakina saves two match points to beat Putintseva in Madrid Open quarter-finals
Elena Rybakina saved two match points as she outlasted Yulia Putintseva to win a dramatic encounter 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The world number four was on the brink of defeat at 5-2 down in the third set, with her fellow Kazakhstani Putintseva eyeing a third win in as many head-to-head meetings between the pair.
However, Rybakina came up with one of the shots of the tournament on Putintseva's first match point, capitalising on a drop shot clipping the net cord to produce a nonchalant winner.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion didn't look back from that moment on, producing back-to-back breaks before holding her nerve through a tense final service game, converting her fourth match point to wrap up a gruelling two-hour, 48-minute contest.
Rybakina has now won 16 successive matches on clay, and she will face either Aryna Sabalenka or Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Rybakina rampant
Rybakina is the form player on the WTA circuit, with Wednesday's win her 30th of 2024, more than any other player.
She is just the second player to win 30 or more matches in tournaments starting within the first four months of a calendar year, after Iga Swiatek managed 32 victories during the same span in 2022. Swiatek, of course, went on to win the French Open and US Open titles that season.
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