Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Jul 8: Linda Noskova and Marta Kostyuk booked their places in the Wimbledon 2026 women's singles semifinals on Wednesday, ensuring that the tournament will feature a first-time Grand Slam finalist.
Ninth seed Noskova advanced to her maiden Grand Slam semifinal with a composed 6-3, 7-5 victory over Belgium's Elise Mertens on No. 1 Court at the All England Club.
The 21-year-old Czech produced a disciplined display, securing one service break in each set to seal the straight-sets win. Having reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, Noskova has continued her steady rise and has become the youngest player to reach the women's singles semifinals at the Championships since Jelena Ostapenko achieved the feat in 2018.
She will now face Ukraine's Kostyuk in the semifinals, guaranteeing that one of the two will contest a Grand Slam final for the first time in her career.
Earlier in the day, 12th seed Kostyuk delivered another commanding performance, defeating last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 on Centre Court to reach her first Wimbledon semifinal and her second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal after her run at the 2026 French Open.
Kostyuk needed just 69 minutes to complete the victory, extending her impressive run to 21 wins from her last 22 matches on the WTA Tour.
Making her debut on Centre Court, the Ukrainian dictated play with aggressive baseline tennis and sharp returning. She struck 19 winners and consistently pressured Paolini, who struggled to find her rhythm, committing 15 unforced errors in the opening set.
The decisive moment came in the fifth game of the first set when Kostyuk produced a superb forehand return winner off a second serve to earn a crucial break. From that point, she maintained control of the contest and never allowed her opponent an opportunity to recover.
She carried the same intensity into the second set, combining powerful groundstrokes with precise returns to complete a convincing straight-sets victory and secure her first appearance in the Wimbledon semifinals.