Otherwise and with regret, that’s the end of day 10, and it’s been another absolute jazzer so thanks for your company; check back here or on the site for the Fritz v Nadal report, which is imminent, and see you tomorrow! Peace out.
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We’re more or less finished here, but that doesn’t mean we’ve run out of lovely sport. if you’re not there already, join Gregg Bakowski for the Euro 2022 opener.
Oof madone, these last two days have been special. I mentioned yesterday that the tournament hadn’t really set itself alight, but the intensity of the quarters have taken it somewhere entirely new, the mixture of legacy-building goats and ravenous pretenders agitating every possible emotion.
Tomorrow, starting at 1.30pm BST, we have:
Ons Jabeur [3] v Tatjana Maria
Elena Rybakina [17] v Simona Halep [16]
Then on Friday we have:
Novak Djokovic [1] v Cameron Norrie [9]
Nick Kyrgios v Rafael Nadal [2]
I cannot wait.
“I enjoy a lot playing these kind of matches,” says Nadal; I’ll bet. The joy of competing in so intense an environment must be unlike any other. He congratulates Fritz and reckons his body is fine, but “something in the abdominal is not going well,” and for a while he thought he might not finish the match. He thanks the crowd, and prompted to remember the 2008 final, 14 years ago today, he can’t believe he’s still here in 2022. As for the semi, he hopes he’s fit to play, acknowledges Kyrgios is a good player, especially on grass, then takes his leave. What an absurd hunk of human he is, how privileged are we to watch him compete?
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For almost the first time we see emotion from Fritz, who drags his corporeal off, head bowed and tears on the edges of his irises. But like Jannik Sinner, he went onto court a boy and came off a grown arse man; his life changed out there, and I can’t wait to see how he moves from here.
Rafael Nadal [2] beats Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6(4)!
What a pair of heroes! That was a brilliant match, the epitome of tennis, and the grand slam is on! Nadal is into the last four, where he’ll meet Kyrgios, and Fritz has arrived as a player! Well played lads, well expletive played!
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Fritz saves the first, but the next is on Nadal’s serve... Fritz 4-9 Nadal
RAFAEL NADAL! RAFAEL NADAL! RAFAEL NADAL! He has such competitive courage and charisma, absolutely screeching a forehand down the line with no regard for the delicacy of the situation! He had six match points! Fritz 3-9 Nadal
And there’s our image! A wild rumble of a rally, Nadal behind then dredging up yet another hellacious forehand, backing it up with a lush volley, and he stands alone at the net, Fritz spreadeagled on the floor. Then he serves, the ball catches the line, and bounces below Fritz’s racket, and this is nearly done! Fritz 3-8 Nadal
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The noggin on Taylor Fritz! He does win the next point on the Nadal serve, and if he can take the two on his own, he’s back in this! Down crashes an ace, out wide and onto a postage stamp, and he’s well in the next rally too before he wafts a backhand long! The drama here! You want to take by the lapels anyone not watching and ask what on earth is wrong with them! Fritz 3-6 Nadal
Nadal prepares to serve at 5-0, but people move in his eyeline so he stops; the atmosphere intensifies when that seemed impossible, and Fritz jumps on a second serve before running in to put away. He badly needs the next point, again on the Nadal serve. Fritz 1-5 Nadal
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Oh, Taylor! Ohhhh maaaaate! He races to pick up a drop, grip changing on the move ... then nets! For almost the first time today we see despair on his face, and when he nets again, he’s halfway to home. Oh, Taylor! Sport is brutal. Fritz 0-5 Nadal
A brilliant forehand from Nadal, whose stomach seems alright now, beats Fritz’s desperate dive and earns him an immediate mini-break; he quickly consolidates, Fritz slipping during the 3-0 point and springing up in time to see Nadal play a lovely backhand winner. Fritz 0-3 Nadal
But before we get on, let’s note our awe at the efforts of both these men; they are exceptional.
Nadal opens with an excellent delivery down the T, cleaning up with a wrongfooting forehand to the corner; he makes 30-0 when Fritz goes long. A swinging serve, again down the T, more or less resolves the next point, and another from the other side but aimed at roughly the same area, means we’ve got the 10-point tiebreak!
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At no point in this match has Fritz looked rattled, never getting too up or too down. If you’d offered him 6-6 in the fifth before the match, I’m certain he’d’ve took it, and the way he attacks this final service game is no different to the way he attacked the first and everything in between. He finishes with an ace down the middle for 6-5, and Nadal must now hold on for a 10-point tie-break!
One break and Fritz is there, but Nadal mashes a volley from on top of the net for 15-0 – he’s terrifyingly focused – only for Fritz to find another beautiful angle, an oblique backhand that breaks the sideline. Nadal responds with a service winner for 30-15, Fritz nets a return, and Nadal annihilates a forehand then puts away the point at the third time of asking. We’ve got 5-5 in the decider, and we’re a game apiece away from a super-breaker. My fingers are shaking.
This is ridiculously absorbing, and from 30-0 two errors from Fritz usher Nadal into the game. But he then finds a lovely oblique angle on a forehand ... only for Nadal to unleash two more vicious forehands, opening the court for a drop volley and deuce. So Fritz responds with a serve out wide, almost misses with his put-away, grinning at the proximity, then closes out! He leads 5-4 in the fifth, and I’ve not a clue who’s going to win this.
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OH MY DAYS! Nadal nets a backhand, and Fritz has broken back! He’s got the temperament of a sniper! We’re back level in the fifth at 4-4!
Fritz will be feeling his face melting as he contemplates the all-consuming misery that awaits him - the second serve which Nadal just attacked was his slowest of the match. But he’s imposed his fair share of breaks this afternoon, and when Nadal surprisingly nets a backhand volley for 15-all, he can see a glimmer. And what a shot he finds next, smashing a forehand to the corner then following in and playing a flick on the half-volley and half-turn for 15-30. Nadal, though, has seen it all before, the speed of his service back to where you’d expect it to be ... except at 30-all he plays a hopeful drop that Fritz makes the most of, and he’s earned a point for an immediate break-back at 3-4 30-40!
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HE CANNOT! Out of the very depth of his black champion’s soul, Nadal hauls a forehand of the devil ,inside-out to the forehand corner, meets Fritz’s brave response with the deftest of volleys, and he leads 4-3 in the fifth!
Again, Fritz forges in front with a nails serve, but again he gets in his own way, sending a backhand long. It feels like the match might be here – of course it isn’t – but when Nadal punishes a succession of forehands to backhand corner and down the middle, he raises another break point. Can Fritz respond yet again?
Nadal, though, is not to be denied, sticking away a volley for advantage ... only for Fritz to respond with a serve out wide that facilitates the easy volley. He has stones the size of Scylla and Charibdis, but game-point up, he nets a forehand, so back to deuce we go.
A mahoosive serve saves the first break point – again, Fritz’s ability to keep it steady under pressure is fantastic - and then a mishit lands on Nadal’s baseline, before a forehand into the net cord somehow clambers over and onto the other side for deuce!
Nadal wins a net duel for 0-15 then finds a terrific drop, bouncing close to the sideline and moving away, for 0-30. That is genius, both the idea and execution – he must have the resting heart-rate of a corpse – but Fritz responds really well, only to leap in and net a volley put-away that means 15-40. Here we go!
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You’ve got to laugh: Nadal gets a net cord that dribbles into a winner, so raises both hands in apology; he looks gutted for Fritz, he really does. He quickly turns his fortune in 30-0, but Fritz sticks with him and reaching 40-30, exerts minor pressure ... that turns into something more when Nadal overhits a forehand topspin! To deuce we go, and two errors from Fritz hand over the game; 3-3, final set.
Fritz, though, is putting it on him, an ace followed by a service winner securing a love hold for 3-2. The way he’s put away the disappointment of being mugged for both the second and fourth sets will stay with me; we should all know such equanimity and perspective.
This is the best Nadal’s played since the first three games, of course it is. At 30-0, he dematerialises a backhand cross-court and follows it with a service winner, holding to love for 2-2. Nadal is like the Ready Brek kid here.
At 30-15, Fritz runs around the backhand for a forehand down the line, but strays long ... then nets a backhand and suddenly Nadal has a sniff. Or maybe it was just a twitch, because Fritz bangs an ace out wide, a return goes long, and that’s 2-1 Fritz! A fifth set against Nadal, Wimbledon quarter-final – he must be loving life, but his demeanour is cold.
Fritz gets 0-15 but when he tries a drop – sensible, given Nadal’s injury – Nadal promptly chases in and flicks a lovely response that’s good enough for 15-all. Nadal is really feeling this, dictating the next rally from the back before crunching a measured forehand down the line for another winner – you can see from the look on his face and manner of his shot-making that he’s absolutely locked into this, and he quickly secures the hold for 1-1.
Go on Taylor! Fritz begins the set with an ace and holds to love for 1-0. The way he’s maintained an even keel throughout the match, with all its twists and undulations, has been very impressive.
Nadal returns, so eyes down for another decider. This is going to be intense!
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Skanking two sets 7-5 is just the absolute height of Nadal, pouncing when his opponent is mentally preparing for the breaker. There may never have been a greater competitor in any sport, which tells us just how well Taylor Fritz is doing to keep up. He’s still got a great chance here, and he looks calm sat in his chair; rightly so. Nadal, of course, has nipped out, which gives us a moment to reflect on a dazzlingly affirming two days of quarters – seven of eight matches have delivered, and I can’t remember the last time that happened.
Two net cords in the same point, I bet you think that’s pretty clever don’t you Raf? They help him make 15-0, then Fritz goes long again for 30-0 and down comes an ace; this is absurd behaviour, but what’s really absurd - absurdest – is that we expect him because we’ve seen it so many times before. Is that a paradox? I don’t know, but a sonic boom of a forehand winner and we’ve got the fifth set we deserve! Fritz 6-3 5-7 6-3 5-7 Nadal
But it might not! Nadal is just an absolute joke, a pair of luscious forehands making 0-30. Fritz, though, won’t step off, dominating the next rally, and though Nadal asserts control with a clever backhand, Fritz stays with him and he nets. He’s working the chances though, opening up the court to go across it with a forehand, only to go wide; 30-all. But Fritz goes long with his favourite backhand down the line, handing Nadal break point, then does it again! Nadal leads 6-5 in the fourth, and he is just an absolutely rrrrridiculous human being, the like of which we’ve never before seen!
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Oh yes! Fritz cracks another fine return, onto Nadal’s tootsies, then deposits an equally good forehand to the corner for a clean winner. Naturally, Nadal retorts with one of his own, a reverse forehand back to where Fritz had been, but there’s not the same pop on his serve, when Fritz nets an attempted pass for 30-15 it counts as a missed opportunity, because Nadal’s approach wasn’t great. Still, Nadal closes out, swishing an ace down the middle to seal the deal. 5-5, but if this goes to a breaker you’ve got to fancy the young pretender
But have a look! At the end of a sapping rally, Fritz unfurls a devastating inside-out forehand from middle to corner, right on the line; his desire to take shots on, however big the point, is admirable, and he seals the hold with a big serve to lead 6-3 5-7 6-3 5-4. He’s a game away from his first ever major semi!
There’s been a far bit of kerfuffle about Nadal’s injury, but let’s not ignore the moving beauty of a young man realising and seizing his power. Whatever happens next, like Sinner yesterday, he’s over a fence – this is now his standard, and he needs to do everything it takes to stay true to it. I can’t wait to see him try. But in the meantime there’s a match to win, and he gets to 40-30 ... only for Nadal to roust a gloooorious forehand winer down the line! An error follows, and Nadal now has break point!
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*Fritz 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 4-4 Nadal (* denotes next server)
This fourth set is nicely poised at 4-4 – I’ll hand you back to Daniel Harris to guide you through the rest of it.
Fritz 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 3-4 *Nadal (* denotes next server)
Fritz holds comfortably enough and Nadal will now serve to try and move within a game of winning the fourth set.
Channel 9, in Australia, have gone a bit early.
Thoughts and prayers with the (likely) young overnight reporter on the channel 9 news desk. pic.twitter.com/P3xDC8Tvn8
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) July 6, 2022
*Fritz 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 2-4 Nadal
In today’s other quarter-final in the men’s singles, Nadal remains a break up in the fourth set, and looks poised to turn this into a five-setter.
Nick Kyrgios speaks to Lee McKenzie after clinching a spot in the men’s singles semi-finals: “An amazing atmosphere out here again, I never thought I would be in the semi-final of a grand slam. I thought my ship had sailed, I didn’t go about things too well early in my career, and I thought maybe that little window had gone.
“It definitely matters. I don’t have a coach, I would never put that burden on someone ... [laughs] but each and every one of my team plays an important role ... no one knows my tennis better than I do, I’ve been playing since I was seven. To be in the semi-final of a grand slam, I am pretty happy.
“He [Garin] is a hell of a player, he’s very confident at the moment and I felt I was on the back foot. It’s been an awesome tournament for him ... but I got lucky on a couple of break points ... I’ll take that and prepare for my next match.
“I don’t want to think about the semi-finals. [Tonight] my Dad will cook us dinner as always, and we’ll just eat it, we’ll watch a movie and chill out. That’s it.”
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Kyrgios defeats Garin! 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
Garin hits wide off his forehand in the tiebreak and the Australian seals the first grand slam semi-final of his career, in straight sets! Well done indeed.
Kyrgios seats in his seat, hiding his eyes with his hands, looking as if he was on the losing side. He can’t quite believe it. I am sure we’ll hear from him in a moment ...
On commentary for the BBC, Nick Mullins points out that Kyrgios is the only player left in the draw to have beaten both Nadal and Djokovic. He has the weapons to do it, and no one will fancy playing him on this form.
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Fritz 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 1-2 *Nadal
Meanwhile, on Centre Court, Nadal creates three break points against Fritz ... he appears to claim the third of them after Fritz hits long. The call is challenged, but it’s confirmed to be out, and Nadal assumes control of this fourth set.
Garin 4-6, 3-6, 6-6 Kyrgios
The tiebreak is locked at 3-3 ... the Australian needs four more points, and to win by two clear points, to win the match. Can Garin force this to four?
Thanks Daniel. Kyrgios holds easily and we are into a third-set tiebreak.
Righto, I’m off for a little rest. Here’s Luke McLaughlin to ease you through the next little bit, with Kyrgios serving at 5-6 in the third.
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Nadal needs short points and hurls himself into a return then fades a lovely backhand slice drop for deuce. It’d be the height of him to break here, but the way Fritz is playing I can’t see it. However! He plays a drop he shouldn’t, Nadal obviously flicks over a winner, then he stands up a ball in mid-court and Nadal obviously rips a forehand into the open space! It is the absolute height of him! He leads 1-0 but trails 2-1.
Obviously we’ve no choice but to focus on Nadal’s injury, but it shouldn’t distract us from how well Fritz has played and is playing. This is the biggest match of his life and he’s embraced it with alacrity, finding his best level and looking good for the semis.
Nadal gets off his chair kind of limping, but he’s not letting this go, replacing the headband and jogging to receive as Fritz begins set four. On No1, meantime, Kyrgios is serving at 4-5 in the third, having won the first two.
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Nadal is struggling with his backhand, injury forcing him to turn down the power. Consecutive errors on that wing, along with a serve that’s also not firing, mean he’s 15-30 down, then when Fritz spanks a return into the footmarks, he can only wave another backhand at it and that’s two set points! Fritz only needs one, and HE LEADS RAFAEL NADAL 6-3 5-7 6-3! The way Nadal surrendered there, I’m not sure for how long he can carry on, and when he goes to sit down, he removes his headband.
The longest rally of the match, 16 shots, is won by Nadal, but he then goes long for 15-all from where Fritz polishes off for 5-3; Nadal must now serve to stay in the set. Meanwhile, Kyrgios, 3-4 and 15-30 down, finds an ace and a service winner ... before netting in response to a decent return. Garin is making an impression on his serve now, but another ace rains and long return later, it’s level again at 4-4.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Fritz’s performance – so far – has been his equilibrium. He was gutted to have that second set taxed off him but he didn’t baulk, he just begun again and will shortly serve at 4-3 in the third.
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Kyrgios finds himself break point down and does more shouting, saves it, then facing another delivers a booming T-serve, backing it up with a drop. So Garin goes again, but again a big serve, this time out wide, opens the point for Kyrgios, and from deuce he closes out with an ace and a service winner. Garin 4-6 3-6 3-3 Kyrgios
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Fritz seals his consolidation with an ace, now leading 3-1 in the third and playing nicely. He’s properly turned up and looks to be enjoying himself ... though he’s rooted to the spot as Nadal unleashes a typical forehand winner down the line for 15-0. But at 30-0, Fritz finds one of his own, and though he can’t make anything of it, he’ll know that the more shots and points he makes Nadal play, the better chance he has of winning. Fritz 6-3 5-7 2-3 Nadal
Fritz holds too and when he bands a forehand to the backhand corner, he has 15-30 on the Nadal serve. When, simultaneously, Kyrgios finds himself in the same position, he simply unloads an ace and a service winner before closing out for 2-2, but Nadal cannot and at 30-40, he serves a very tame double, wincing and bending as he pats his second delivery into the net! Fritz leads 2-1 in the third, but it’s he who hails the trainer to address the strapping on his left thigh.
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A hold apiece at the start of set three on No1 – Kyrgios leads Garin 6-4 6-3 1-1– while Nadal, really firing now, also holds, for 1-0.
Rafael Nadal, though. He almost offered Fritz the big forehand, daring him to have a go if he was hard enough, and he was ... but he wasn’t. He’ll be coming up on the painkillers now, they’ll be fortified by adrenaline, and we’ve all seen this one before.
Up 30-15, Garin loops a forehand long and Nadal is two points away from the set. And when Fritz opens his shoulders to whack inside-out, he falls a little long ... then Nadal clobbers a forehand, inserts a drop, and puts away the volley! Out of nowhere, he has pilfered that second set, and Fritz will be feeling very poorly; maybe he should take a timeout, it seems to work nicely. Fritz 6-3 5-7 Nadal
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Kyrgios serves out to 30, and that’s the second set! He leads Garin 6-4 6-3 and has racked up that advantage without extending himself physically or mentally.
Oh yes! 0-15 down and with Fritz running down a drop, Nadal finds a sensational lob down the line when he looked to have lost control of the rally. This is a really good contest, and after hitting down the line to Nadal’s forehand – you don’t want to do that, as he learns when pursuing the inevitable cross-court winner –Fritz does well in closing to 30-40. But Nadal ups the service power and hangs on for 6-5 while, on No1, Kyrgios is serving for the set at 5-3.
At 15-all, Fritz slings down a double – we end up at 30-all and his nerves will be jangling – while a lazy drop from Kyrgios hands Garin a break point. But the serve saves him, yet again, a bosh down the T followed by two more big serves for 6-4 5-2, while Fritz quickly closes out for 6-3 5-5.
Fritz quickly levels the set at 4-4, but Nadal seems to be feeling more like himself, rushing through one of his own. They’ll have a little sit-down, then Fritz will serve to stay in the second set.
Tempted though he might be, Garin isn’t giving up, and he makes 30-40 only for Kyrgios’ forehand to take over. He wins three straight points, leads 4-1, and Nadal returns on Centre so we’re off again with Fritz leading 6-3 3-4.
Nadal has taken a medical timeout, and given the nature of the injury is being treated off court. In co-comms, Feliciano Lopez thinks this might be it and he’s got a better angle on this than I do – but let’s hope not.
Garin is under pressure on nearly every point, and 0-30 down, he nets weakly, then loses a net exchange comprehensively, Kyrgios digging out a drop and sending it across the face of the net for a winner. He now leads 6-4 3-1 and looks a cert for the semis, probably in short order.
Ach, Nadal has the trainer out for an abdominal situation.
As Nadal struggles to retrieve a drop, in commentary they wonder if he’s struggling with the chronic foot condition that’s afflicted him throughout his career. But at 30-40, he digs out a typically brilliant hooked forehand, then opens up to spank another forehand winner, inside-out this time, closes out, and that’s 3-6 4-3. If Fritz can stay on him, he’s got a real chance here.
Garin is struggling here, and with advantage, Kyrgios looks in control of the next rally. But he nets a backhand and Garin closes out; he really really needed that. 1-1 second set, first to Kyrgios.
On the cusp of a simple hold, consecutive errors from Fritz take us from 40-15 to deuce. But a big serve and a shanked return quickly mitigate his largesse, and we’re 3-3 in the second.
Garin forces Kyrgios to deuce at the start of set two, but nets a hopeful drop when prolonging the rally might’ve served him better. Garin 4-6 0-1 Kyrgios
Nadal saves the first with a big serve, but then drags a forehand into the middle of the net! We’re back on serve in set two and Fritz leads 6-3 2-3!
Fritz holds to get on the board in set two and big forehand coming in, sent to the backhand corner, gets him 15-30 on the Nadal serve. So Nadal craftily takes his time over the next point ... only to uncraftily double! Two chances for Fritz to break!
Kyrgios only needs one of his three set points, a backhand down the line inciting the error, and he looks seriously pumped as he celebrates the set. Garin, on the other hand, wears the look of someone who knows he doesn’t have the weapons to compete. Garin 4-6 Kyrgios
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Garin finds himself at 0-30 and suddenly he’s two points way from set one. So Kyrgios smacks a return deep, he can’t respond, and that’s 0-40....
At 4-4 and deuce, Kyrgios finds his fifth ace of the match – his serve is one of the most devastating weapons in our sport – then again when back there after Garin saves game point. But he closes out for 5-4 as Nadal consolidates for 3-0.
Again, Nadal breaks at the first time of asking, taking a 2-0 lead in set two. I daresay he’ll guard it more jealously this time. Fritz 6-3 0-2 Nadal
On Kyrgios v Garin, Calvin teaches that Kyrgios has more tools, especially on grass – Garin is a clay-courter – but Garin will make him hit a lot of balls, so if he’s not fit, whether struggling with his shoulder or not properly conditioned, he could have a problem.
Kyrgios is still ranting, about what I can’t hear, and he cedes a 15-30 advantage so Garin makes 4-4.
Fritz has beaten Nadal this year, returns Calvin Betton – before that brilliant first-set comeback, I must add – saying that he’s big, strong and has a good backhand, giving him the profile of someone who matches up well to the second seed, as it means he can defend the looped topspin forehand and hit through Nadal. He doesn’t think he’ll win, but if he does, that’ll be why. Meantime, Nadal holds for 1-0 in set two.
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Kyrgios has settled, clinching 4-3 with another ace to go in front for the first time in the match.
Five straight games for Taylor Fritz! He seals the set with an ace and leads Nadal 6-3!
Kyrgios then forces another opportunity on advantage, takes it, and makes 3-3.
Hello! Simultaneous break points for Kyrgios, who played a miraculous forehand cross-court pass on the run, and Fritz; Kyrgios wastes his and does shouting, Nadal sends down a double on Fritz’s, and after being broken in the first game, he’ll now serve for the set at 5-3!
Nadal gets to 30-40, but Fritz dis into his box of tricks and pulls out a succession of monstrous serves. This is developing into a really interesting match.
Garin consolidates for 2-0 and gets 0-15, but Kyrgios finds two aces to get his first two points of the match and closes out the game well.
Excellent from Fritz, making 0-30 then cracking a forrhand for three break points. But Nadal responds with a flat second serve, then a glorious backhand winner followed by a banging service winner out wide. Fritz, though, makes advantage by way of error-inciting return ... and though Nadal plays a decent volley off his attempted pass, the court os open for the winner! Fritz breaks back for 3-3, and he’s into this now!
Garin nails his first return for a clean winner and breaks Kyrgios to love! Kyrgios is chuntering already!
Garin and Kyrgios are away...
Fritz does well to return from 0-30 down, again powerless in the face of Nadal winners, but though he does well to take the game from there, he’s running to stand still.
Ominous stuff from Nadal, closing out another hold with a leaping smash that belongs in gallery. He’s been the best player in the tournament so far, and Djokovic is the only man left in the draw who looks to have a chance of stopping him. He leads 3-1.
Garin and Kyrgios are out knocking up.
Fritz holds to 15, sealing the seal with 129mph serve down the middle. He’s in the aforementioned. Fritz 1-2 Nadal
Nadal holds to 15 for 2-0, and if he’s perceptive, Fritz will know he’s in a game.
And immediately, Nadal digs into the Fritz serve, only to hook a forehand wide at 15-30. But then Fritz backs away to make room for a forehand, only to net, a gargantuan forehand from Nadal allows the easy put-away, and that’s a break in the opening game! It turns out the, er, most winningest player of all-time is better than Jason Kubler, against whom Fritz was brilliant in the last round.
Fritz and Nadal are away...
Next on No1: Cristian Garín v Nick Kyrgios
Nadal and Fritz are knocking up...
Rybakina has made her first grand slam semi and also become the first player from Kaazakhstan so to do – in men’s or women’s tennis. Nevertheless, she’s every bit as composed as I would not be, thanking the crowd and saying maybe she was nervous at the start. She’s looking forward to playing Halep, and that’s all we’re getting. Until Friday!
Elena Rybakina [17] beats Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6 6-2 6-3!
Sealed with an ace! Rybakina greets victory with the disquieting calm of someone who expects much more, immediately. She started poorly but hauled herself into the match, and meets Halep next. That should be a tremendous tussle.
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Ooh yeah, Rybakina clatters down a serve at 117mph for 30-0, Tomljanovic nets her next return, and shirley this is it
Tomljanovic holds for 5-3, and Rybakina will now have to serve for the match a second time! Can she hold it down?
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...but Rybakina nets a forehand, encouraged so to do by Tomljanovic chucking everything into her strokes, and there’s life in this match yet. A service winner follows, but Rybakina attacks the next point with alacrity after a backhand goes into the net it’s back to deuce we go.
A decent return from Rybakina clips the line and Tomljanovic’s response drops just beyond it, so we’re at 30-all; Tomljanovic then nets and looks resigned as she contemplates going from one set up to match point down...
...OR NOT! Two forehand errors from Rybakina hand Tomljanovic one break back, and it’s now 5-2 in the third.
...then another Tomljanovic forehand goes into the net for deuce. Again, the end looks imminent...
...and Rybakina spirits an ace out wide, right onto the sideline....
Badly! Tomljanovic makes 0-40, then nets a forehand...
Eeesh, it’s all going wrong for Tomljanovic, who’s broken again for 1-5. Her burning feelings of regret will be different to Anisimova’s because she played more or less as well as she can in the first set. But ultimately, her opponent is a better player and has found a level that she can’t match, so Rybakina will now serve for the semis.
Next on Centre: Taylor Fritz [11] v Rafael Nadal [2]
Halep is happy, and really happy with how she served at 0-40 in that final game. “Everything is good when it finishes well” she says - wise words – and reckons she’s playing as well as she has since winning the title in 2019. She’s the favourite, and with good reason.
Simona Halep [16] beats Amanda Anisimova [20] 6-2 6-4!
A superb performance from Halep – another superb performance form Halep – puts her into the semis, and she celebrates while Anisimova departs submerged by regrets. She now knows she can compete at this level, if she gets herself correct, but that won’t console her at the moment. Halep, though, looks a potential champion, having not been able to defend her title in 2020.
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...then sends down the softest second serve imaginable, and Anisimova’s return is a decent one ... but a terrific get from Halep incites the error, that’s deuce, and this might be the end.
Halep saves two...
Oh really?! Halep races into the net and dumps a backhand volley into it, then a pair of terrific groundstrokes from Anisimova, backhand to one corner then forehand into the space, give her three break-back points!
On No1, it’s not currently close, Rybakina serving to well for Tomljanovic. Another hold gives her 4-1, and this is nearly over.
Anisimova is into this now, and though this improvement may be too late, bringing with it a whole new suite of regrets, she’s reminding herself that she can compete at this level. Consecutive backhands from the back give her 30-0, she holds to 15, and Halep will have to serve for the semis a second time.
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Tomljanovic is nearly out when she nets a backhand, handing Rybakina 30-40, but hangs in there to stop the rot, winning her first game in eight. She trails 1-3 in the decider.
...and though Halep snaffles back two of her break points, she then nets a backhand and there’s life in this match yet! Halep leads 6-2 5-3.
Go on Amanda! With Halep serving for the match, she races to 0-40...
Well done Amanda Anisimova. She fights through a hold for 2-6 2-5, closing eyes at change of ends to try and centre; good luck with that, old mate. Meantime, Rybakina holds easily, her power dominant. But she’s only a break in front, so Tomljanovic still has plenty for which to play.
Halep holds to love for 5-1 and Anisimova just wants out of there now, the points short and depressing. She’s so much better than this, though, and will have better days even if that’s no current consolation.
Rybakina is all over Tomljanovic now, quickly making 0-40, and though one break point is saved, a forehand into the net is enough for 2-0, and Rybakina need only hold to make the last four.
Rybakina holds to 30 in game one of the decider while, I’m afraid, life has got big on Anisimova. She’s broken again to 15, barely asking Halep to work for it, and returns to her chair, bashing bag with racket. This is not easy to watch and when she puts her towel over her face, we fear tears, but she’s back ready to receive, the devastation that awaits her already settling in. Sport is brutal.
Halep quickly consolidates for 6-2 3-1 and is looking so solid. A final of her v Jabeur would be something to see, but there’s plenty of work necessary before we get to that.
I meant to note that though Rybakina is playing better, Tomljanovic hit her top level in set one and is proving unable to sustain it, a succession of errors handing Rybakina a break to love that means 11 points in a row and, most importantly, a 6-2 set! A decider has been bestowed upon us, and Rybakina is now a big favourite. Tomljanovic 6-4 2-6 Rybakina
Rybakina consolidates to love for 5-2, the decider we deserve almost upon us. She’s playing better now, varying her approach while, on Centre, Halep is bullying Anisimova – she’s just too quick and too crafty, and when she raises three more break points, a tame backhand that wafts long converts the second. Halep leads 6-2 2-1.
Anisimova secures a crucial hold to 30 on game one of set two, while Tomljanovic plays a loose backhand for 0-15, then slips on 15-30, so must now face two break points. Can Rybakina lift it? Yes she can! Pinned in the forehand corner, she caresses a a cross-court drop with gorgeous disguise, if something imperceptible can be that, and now leads 4-2 in the second! We’re hotting up!
Back on No1, we’re on serve in set two, Tomljanovic leading 6-4 2-3.
Anisimovz, as I hope she’s known in the aforementioned, pastes a blinding forehand return cross-court for 15-all, but on 30-all she hooks another one wide, when the ball was there to be punished. And when the next go drops long, that’s the first set to Halep, 6-2. She looks so in control of her game and herself, and what a joy it is to write that about someone who struggled to realise her potential for so long.
Anisimova wins her first game since 1-1, forcing Halep to serve for the set at 5-2. She thinks she’s got the ability to win a major, all the more so, presumably, given the wide range of others who’ve done that recently – she’s better than a lot of them. But she’s not putting it together today, and if she doesn’t steady soon, she’ll be back in the locker room alone with her regrets.
It’s just not happening for Rybakina, who quickly finds herself 0-40 down. A second-serve ace reduces the arrears, but just as her forehand is dictating the next point, a careless backhand drops long. Meanwhile , Anisimova has chances to snaffle back a break, a=but a forehand swiped wide gives Halep four games in a row and 5-1.
Hello! Tomljanovic misses a forehand to each corner, handing Rybakina 0-30, after which my screen jumps, returning at 15-40. And though Rybakina’s approach sits up to be hit, Tomljanovic has cooled, her pick-up allowing the easy put-away. And, though I cricitised that approach, coming to the net was a decent change-up from Rybakina, that’ll get her opponent thinking. She trails 4-6 2-0.
Halep has Anisimova’s number here, outhitting her from the back and also hitting more consistently. She secures the double break for 4-1, while Rybakina beings her fightback with a hold to 30.
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Rybakina gets to 15-30, but a serve out wide followed by a clean-up forehand takes Tomljanovic to within two points of the lead. Another big serve follows, then Rybakina goes wide with a forehand return, and that’s the set, 6-4. She’s much the better player so far while, on Centre, Anisimova blazes a forehand that forces Halep to slip, but she nevertheless consolidates her break to lead 3-1.
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On Anisimova, our resident coach is back, Calvin Betton saying that “Anisimova is good. Been saying that a few years. Beautiful ball striker, good brain, great BH. She just enjoys socialising quite a lot.”
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Consecutive aces help Rybakina to 40-0, and though Tomljanovic wins a couple of points, another big serve forces her opponent to serve out the set at 5-4. Meanwhile, a careless forehand from Anisimova drops long, handing Halep a break point, and she snaffles it in short oder to lead 2-1.
Anisimova secures a quick hold in the first game of the match and Halep does likewise, as Tomljanovic plays a superb game for 5-3. She’s moving beautifully, keeping really low, punishing the ball and running everything down. Rybakina will now serve to stay in the set.
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A much-needed love hold for Rybakina, making 3-4, but can she find anything on the Tomljanovic serve?
It’s not going great for Rybakina – like Norrie yesterday, she doesn’t seem to be feeling the ball. And unlike Norrie, she doesn’t have a best of five’s scope to find herself, so needs to get going quickly. In the meantime, another easy hold gives Tomljanovic 4-2.
Leading 40-30, Rybakina doesn’t wobble, clouting an ace down the middle for 2-3 while, on Centre, Halep and Anisimova are out. This could well be the match of the day, and though Anisimova has a decent chance, Halep has battered everyone she’s played, and she’s played proper players – Muchova, Frech, Flipkens and Badosa.
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Tomljanovic is the more consistent player so far, calm and focused – she’s serving well and also making sure to force Rybakina into playing an extra shot when behind in the rally. But from 40-0, two errors give her opponent a sniff only for Rybakina to shank a backhand. Three games in a row for tomljanovic, and a 3-1 lead.
Rybakina is settling. On 30-all, she has the chance to hit a backhand winner and, very deliberately, doesn’t schmeiss the cover off it but guides it sensibly into the corner. But a decent return from Tomljanovic takes us to deuce - she’s not waiting to be asked here, another player determined to attack what might be a fleeting opportunity. Or maybe, given she also made this stage last term, I’m being unfair, and some baseline hitting earns her the first break point fo the match ... and when Rybakina hits what should be a comfy put-away right at her, she’s a chance ... but can’t control her backhand riposte. no matter: a poor forehand from Rybakina flies long and wide, giving her another go, but Rybakina plays her best rally of the match so far, whamming forehands before administering the drop. But when she doesn’t do enough with a volley, Tomljanovic hoists a lob for a clean winner – that’s a lovely shot – except when a big serve opens the court, Rybakina again picks the side her opponent is on, and a get on the stretch defeats her leap at an overhead. Tomljanovic breaks and leads 2-1.
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Leading 15-0, Rybakina sends Tomljanovic scurrying to retrieve and looks set to win the point, but again, Tomljanovic finds a backhand, doing brilliantly to arc it beyond the substantial wingspan of the 6” Rybakina, coming in, for a clean winner. She holds to love, and that’s 1-1.
Lovely start from both players, Rybakina disbursing a huge serve, then Tomljanovic ramming a brilliant backhand return down the line for a huge winner. Rybakina then goes long on the backhand – that won’t help her nerves – but she responds well, winning three quick points for 1-0.
Righto, here we go! Rybakina to serve...
The two are knocking up in an overcast court. It’s almost time.
But under way first we’ve got Tomljanovic v Rybakina on No1 Court, and I must say it’s hard to see a way through for the former. Rybakina will, I think, have the advantage in every technical department, and though Tomljanovic is more experienced, Rybakina is a blue-chip talent who believes this is her stage.
A fact I did not know: Anisimova has hit 108 winners so far this fortnight, more than anyone else in the competition. Her win over the in-form Coco Gauff was especially impressive – she lost the first set 7-6, then won the second and third 1 and 2. She played Halep last month and lost 1 and 2, but has Darren Cahill, Halep’s former on/off coach in her corner, and if anyone can come up with a winning gameplan, it’s him.
Preamble
Ons Jabeur [3] v Tatjana Maria, Novak Djokovic [1] v Cameron Norrie [9]; we all had these as our first two semi-finals, right? Of course we did, just as we knew that come today, we’d be watching Simona Halep [16] v Amanda Anisimova [20], Ajla Tomljanovic v Elena Rybakina [17], Taylor Fritz [11] v Rafael Nadal and Cristian Garín v Nick Kyrgios.
There was something really special about yesterday’s matches, all four going the distance with all four winners coming from behind – and it’s no coincidence that of the eight players we saw, only two will have expected to be involved at the quarter-final stage. As a consequence, we got the frantic desperation of those seeking to seize an opportunity that may never come their way again, the ravenous rabidity of others looking to make a career-defining breakthrough – and an all-time great shaping his legacy by haranguing himself in the khazi.
The same is so of today. Tomljanovic and Garín, fine players both, may never reach this stage again; Rybakina is a monstrous talent seeking to announce herself to the world; with Fritz, Anisimova and Kyrgios lying somewhere in between. Then, if to that we add Nadal, probably and improbably halfway to a grand slam, and Halep, a former champion of fragile brilliance fighting back after injury, we have ourselves a flammable gumbo of everything that makes sport – and Wimbledon in particular – so thrillingly and ludicrously compelling.
Play: No1 Court 1pm BST, Centre Court 1.30pm BST
