WIMBLEDON — Eight elite players, all looking for their first Wimbledon title, are featured in Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s quarterfinals at the All England Club.
In keeping with the chaotic nature of this fortnight, three of them are unseeded — but quite accomplished: two-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Laura Siegemund, 2021 Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic,
And then there’s Aryna Sabalenka, the World No. 1, seeking to redeem herself after losing in the Roland Garros final. Five-time major champion Iga Swiatek is looking for first title in more than a year, 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva who has yet to drop a set and Amanda Anisimova, playing the best tennis of her life, is intent on moving into the Top 10 for the first time.
Here is a breakdown:
Tuesday’s Top Half
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: 2-0, Sabalenka. But both matches came six years ago, in Strasbourg and at the Billie Jean King Cup.
The case for Sabalenka: In her 6-4 7-6 (4) victory over Elise Mertens, she won her 14th consecutive tiebreak — sharing the Open Era record with Sloane Stephens. That kind of performance in the most critical of circumstances is one of the leading reasons she’s ranked No. 1.
Statistically speaking: Sabalenka has won 16 Grand Slam singles matches this year and 46 matches overall — the best totals among Hologic WTA Tour players.
Quotable: “Especially on the grass it can be really tricky, her game style,” Sabalenka said of Siegemund. “Yeah, it’s annoying. But I’ve been facing a lot of tricky players. I think for me personally, the main thing is like not to over-rush and not to get frustrated by her game, and focus on myself.”
The case for Siegemund: Playing with house money. Previously, she never advanced past the second round here. With her 6-3, 6-2 win over lucky loser Solana Sierra, she’s matched her career-best in Grand Slam singles, a quarterfinal berth five years ago at Roland Garros.
Statistically speaking: Looking for her third Top 10 win of the season, having previously beaten Zheng Qinwen at the Australian Open and Madison Keys in the previous round here.
Quotable: “Obviously she’s one of the greatest players that we have and one of the most aggressive also,” Siegemund said of Sabalenka. “The only good thing about that match is that I have absolutely nothing to lose.”
No. 13 Amanda Anisimova vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-head: 3-0, Anisimova. Including two victories in 2024, in Auckland and Washington, D.C.
The case for Anisimova: Anisimova was a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 winner over No. 20 Linda Noskova. That raised her record on grass this year to 10-2 by reaching the final at Queen’s Club and the quarterfinal in Berlin ahead of Wimbledon.
Statistically speaking: Currently ranked at a career high of No.12; this time last year was ranked No.189. Anisimova will likely move into the Top 10 for the first time in her career.
Quotable: “It’s super special and surreal feeling to be in the top 10,” Anisimova said. “If I thought to myself last year, if someone told me that I’ll be breaking the top 10 by now, I don’t know, it would be pretty surprising to me considering where I was last summer. Just goes to show that all the hard work is paying off.”
The case for Pavlyuchenkova: In her 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over home favorite Sonay Kartal, Pavlyuchenkova went all out, hitting 36 winners — and 47 unforced errors. And why not? This is her 65th Grand Slam; only Victoria Azarenka has more (68) from this year’s draw.
Statistically speaking: At the age of 34, in her 20th season as a professional, Pavlyuchenkova can equal her best result grass — the semifinals — achieved a few weeks ago in Eastbourne.
Quotable: “I always thought grass was very tricky for me through my whole career,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “I think I’ve played really good match today, considering the fact there was the Centre Court. First time in many years and facing such a tough opponent. She didn’t give me any free points.”
Tuesday’s bottom half
No. 7 Mirra Andreeva vs. Belinda Bencic
Head-to-head: 0-0.
The case for Andreeva: In the only fourth-round match involving two Top 10 women, Andreeva won convincingly, 6-2, 6-3, over Emma Navarro. She’s the youngest quarterfinalist here in 18 years, since Nicole Vaidisova. Andreeva is also the first teenager to reach the elite eight since Victoria Azarenka and Sabine Lisicki in 2009.
Statistically speaking: This is the third quarterfinal in her past six major appearances and the second in a row.
Quotable: “I think I was serving to be 5-1 up,” Andreeva told reporters. “I peeked a little bit on the Royal Box. The first person that I saw was [Roger Federer] and his wife. I was like, `Dammit, why did I look there?’ After that I got super tight, super nervous. I was like, `Oh, God, this is the price you had to pay for that.’”
The case for Bencic: One of nine mothers in the draw at Wimbledon this year, Bencic gave birth to daughter Bella less than 15 months ago. In her ninth appearance here, this is her best result, thanks to a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Statistically speaking: Bencic is the fourth player competing for Switzerland to reach this stage here in the Open Era after Martina Hingis (1997, 1998 and 2000), Timea Bacsinszky (2015) and Viktorija Golubic (2021).
Quotable: “Yeah,” Bencic said, “I’m also surprised about how fast the results are coming. I think it’s just really a result of the work we put in and also the mindset that I have now. I’m fighting with everything I have on the court. I still want to win very badly. I think it’s much different now.”
No. 8 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: 4-0, Swiatek, the last three — 2024 US Open, 2023 Beijing and Dubai — all in straight sets
The case for Swiatek: She was down 3-1 in the first set to Clara Tauson and came screaming back to win 11 of the last 13 games. The final: 6-4, 6-1 in 68 minutes. Swiatek has now made the quarters at the last four Grand Slams, something only Aryna Sabalenka has matched.
Statistically speaking: A finalist two weeks ago in Bad Homburg, Swiatek has won seven of her eight matches this year on grass. A win against Samsonova would mark her best grass-court season ever.
Quotable: “I feel like I’m doing a great job at just learning how to play on grass,” Swiatek said. “First time I feel more comfortable. I feel like the process has some kind of logic. Every year it’s a bit easier. I think I came to this point where it’s just a little bit more comfortable.”
The case for Samsonova: Defeating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5, Samsonova advanced to the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of her career. Previously, she had reached the Round of 16 four times, including 2021 Wimbledon.
Statistically speaking: Two of Samsonova’s five WTA Tour singles titles have come on grass, at 2021 Berlin and 2024 ‘s -Hertogenbosch. Her record at Wimbledon coming in was 5-3 — now she’s won four matches in a week’s time.
Quotable: “Grand Slam, it’s different,” Samsonova said. “It’s like a different tournament, a totally different pressure. Every time that you arrive to a Grand Slam, you feel the pressure. I think everyone feels it. It’s tough because of that.”
