The 13th will prove to be lucky for some as the semi-finals of the ladies’ draw gets underway at Wimbledon. The first of the matches at The All England Club on Thursday July 13th 2017 is scheduled to begin at 13:00 (1pm) UK time.
Semi-Final Matches:
Garbine Muguruza (14) vs. Magdalena Rybarikova (87)
Venus Williams (10) vs. Johanna Konta (6)
MUGURUZA (ESP) VS RYBARIKOVA (SVK)
Garbine Muguruza continued to upset the odds at the Wimbledon 2017 and followed her fine victory over the number 1 seed Angelique Kerber in the round of 16 with a straight sets victory against Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded 7th, in the quarter finals. She remains on course to reach her second Wimbledon final, however, faces a tough test against another lady who has made headlines of her own in reaching her first-ever Grand Slam semi-final. She dumped out American Coco Vandeweghe 6-3; 6-3 to reach the last 4. There isn’t much to separate them on the court – they have met four times previously, registering two wins apiece over the other. In their most recent match in 2015, which so happened to be on grass, Rybarikova came away with the win 6-3; 6-1. In this ‘tie-breaker’ 5th match between them, it could be Magdalena who defies the odds against her more fancied opponent. She can throw the seedings out the window and begin to write her very own underdog tale in what has been a tournament that has seen some great shocks from the outset and throughout. I expect Thursday’s semi-finals to be no different.
WILLIAMS (USA) VS KONTA (GBR)
Venus Williams and Johanna Konta could not be further apart in terms of their success on the court. Williams - 11 years Konta’s senior - has 7 Grand Slam titles to her name, 5 at Wimbledon alone. Johanna Konta meanwhile is playing in just her second-ever Grand Slam semi-final after she reached the same stage at the Australian Open in 2016. In doing so, she will become the first British woman in 39 long years to play in the last-4 in front of her home crowd. Konta defeated World Number 2 Simona Halep in the last round in a thrilling three-set encounter, two of which required tie-breakers to separate them as her quest to reach a first ever Grand Slam final gained further momentum. Venus is flying the Williams Flag higher than ever in the absence of sister Serena. After reaching the final of the Australian Open earlier in the year, the 37-year-old seems to be soaring once again in her twilight years as she aims to add another crown to her already glittering career. She beat surprise Roland Garros star Jelena Ostapenko 6-3; 7-5 in the last 8 to book her place in the semi-finals for the second consecutive year. She has not reached the finals, however since 2009. The pair have faced each other a handful of times in the last couple of years. Konta just edges Williams in their head-to-head record – in 5 meetings since 2015, Konta has three wins compared to Williams’ two. Venus Williams got the better of Konta 6-1; 3-6; 6-1 in their last meeting which came at the Rome Masters in May of this year, although Johanna Konta came away with victory when they met in the semi-final at the Miami Open in March.