Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime put on a show of 5 hours and 15 minutes on the Centre Court for the men’s quarter-finals.
But not even 15 hours later, the Centre Court was packed again—this time for the women’s quarter-finals between Marta Kostyuk and Jasmine Paolini. Though quite less thrilling, seeing how Kostyuk blasted out Paolini in one hour and nine minutes, winning 6-3, 6-2.
It will be very exciting for Kostyuk as she will have to return on Thursday to face the ninth seed from Czechia, Linda Noskova, who defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5.
This will be Kostyuk’s second straight major semifinal. Marta might be happy about spending 40 minutes less time out in the sun than Noskova, as every single aspect matters.
Speaking of advantages, Kostyuk can rely on her game’s quality. She won 90% of her first-serve points, 67% of her second-serve points, and did not allow her Italian opponent a single chance to break.
During the opening set, Kostyuk broke in the fifth and ninth games, at first with a forehand winner and due to an unforced error from Paolini.
In the second set, Kostyuk performed quickly, breaking to 3-1. It was after this that the 2024 finalist opened up and started attacking. But at 30-30, Kostyuk served a bullet down to which Jasmine had no answer.
On her second game point, the Ukrainian drove a fierce backhand that almost won her the match. Kostyuk led 4-1 and then 5-2, leaving Paolini on the edge.
Aided by two excellent backhand winners, she brought up her first match point. She took it on the second when another driven backhand evaded Paolini’s strike zone despite an almighty lunge.
“Hello Centre Court!,” said Kostyuk in her victory speech. “It is my first time here and dream come true. I was here as a spectator nine years ago watching Roger (Federer). It’s special to be back as a player.
“My coach made me walk here yesterday (Tuesday), and I was flabbergasted by this entrance and everything inside. I was like ‘wow, I need one day to recover from what I saw’.
“I sat beside (the honour board) and took a moment to soak it all in. I am soaking it all in again now after the win,” Kostyuk added.
