London, July 8 (IANS) Linda Noskova of Czechia reached her first Grand Slam semifinal, securing her place in the last four stage of Wimbledon 2026 by beating Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5 on No.1 Court at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club in London on Wednesday.

The Czech No.9 seed broke the Belgian once in each set and showed big-match maturity beyond her 21 years. Noskova had reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year and is the youngest semifinalist at the All-England Club since Jelena Ostapenko in 2018.

Noskova will play Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the last four to guarantee a first-time Grand Slam finalist.

Kostyuk continued her impressive run by brushing aside Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 on Centre Court on Wednesday to reach her maiden Wimbledon semifinal and second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.

The 12th seed took just one hour and nine minutes to defeat last year’s runner-up. This win brings her impressive record to 21 victories in her last 22 matches on the WTA Tour. It also follows her semifinal finish at the 2026 French Open, showing her growing consistency at major tournaments.

Playing on Centre Court for the first time, Kostyuk showcased an aggressive style. She hit 19 winners, including several eye-catching return winners, keeping Paolini under constant pressure.

Paolini struggled in the opening set, racking up 15 unforced errors. This allowed Kostyuk to take control of the match. The turning point came in the fifth game when the Ukrainian hit a forehand return winner off a hesitant second serve to gain a key break. From that moment on, she played confidently and didn’t let the Italian back into the match.

Kostyuk continued her strong performance in the second set. She used her powerful baseline game and accurate returns to secure the victory in just 69 minutes, securing her spot in the final four at the All England Club for the first time.

–IANS

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