Wimbledon semi-final tips: Carlos Alcaraz has date with destiny, Aryna Sabalenka will be world No 1
- James Richardson
- 12 July 2023
Here Planet Sport looks at how the semi-finals of the men's and women's Wimbledon singles.
The semi-finals are all set for the men's and women's singles at Wimbledon, and we have four intriguing matches in prospect.
Here we look at the semi-finals set on Wednesday, 12 July 2023, at the All England Club.
The women's semi-finals take centre stage on Thursday, 13 July, with a clash between Elina Svitolina and Marketa Vondrousova already set up, while Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur will do battle in the other match.
On Friday, the men's last four will be the focal point of the day, with Novak Djokovic set to take on first-time semi-finalist Jannik Sinner.
On Wednesday, Carlos Alcaraz made quick work of former junior doubles partner Holger Rune, while Daniil Medvedev had to dig deep to get beyond Christopher Eubanks.
Wimbledon men's semi-finals: Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev | Pick: Alcaraz
Wimbledon women's semi-finals: Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka | Pick: Sabalenka
Wimbledon men's semi-finals: Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev
Carlos Alcaraz had what looked on paper the more challenging quarter-final clash in the bottom half of the draw, but he cruised through it with little trouble at all.
By contrast, Daniil Medvedev needed to work hard to make his game fit grass and to overcome spirited American Christopher Eubanks.
Neither player has a great deal of familiarity with grass, even if Medvedev has been on tour for much longer. However, Alcaraz has a game that is naturally better suited to the surface.
It doesn't take much for Alcaraz to adapt his all-action approach to grass, and a lot of his past struggles with the surface have been related to the timing of movement and shots.
Medvedev has battled for grass court success simply because he favours remaining deep in the court. As a taller player though, his serve can be an absolute nightmare to face if he is on song.
Alcaraz might have lost to Medvedev at Wimbledon in their 2021 meeting, but the Spaniard is now a totally different beast, as demonstrated when he crushed the Russian in the Indian Wells final earlier this season.
Wimbledon women's semi-finals: Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka
Ons Jabeur was able to earn revenge for her Wimbledon final loss to defending champion Elena Rybakina but stopping Aryna Sabalenka's march to world No 1 might prove a bridge too far.
Sabalenka will assume the top ranking if she can beat Jabeur and reach a maiden Wimbledon final.
Jabeur will want to show that she is still the Grand Slam contender she was last season and reach another big final to break new ground for Arab women in the sport.
Rybakina's power troubled Jabeur, and she will once again be asked to find a way to turn aside an extraordinary force.
Sabalenka knows what to expect from Jabeur as she is often a hitting partner for the world No 2.
Sabalenka has come out on top in three of the four meetings between the two players, including a 2021 match at Wimbledon, which she won in straight sets.
Recapping earlier tips
Women's singles semi-final:
Elina Svitolina vs Marketa Vondrousova | Pick: Svitolina
Elina Svitolina is riding a wave of popular support and playing the best tennis of her life, and while Vondrousova is an experienced player with a level head, the new mum has really raised her game.
Men's singles semi-final:
Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic | Pick: Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has no intention of seeing his destiny delayed and will be out to make quick work of a player competing in his first Grand Slam semi-final.
