World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was pushed to the brink by World No. 104 and surprise 37-year-old quarterfinalist Laura Siegemund of Germany. Siegemund is an accomplished doubles player (and Grand Slam doubles champion) who possesses a variety of shots including a very effective drop shot and spins commesurate to Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova.
Laura Siegemund leaves Wimbledon to roaring applause
Everyone on their feet for this incredible athlete
37 years old, playing the tennis of her life
Running down every ball
Putting on a show
Living for the fight
So much respect for this lady 🥹
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 8, 2025
Sabalenka lost the first set but came back to win the second with ease. The third set was a tug-of-war which the World No. 1 occasionally looked unhinged and not confident in her serve or ground strokes. It took nearly three hours for the match to be decided, and in the next to last game, Sabalenka recorded her only two aces of the match.
Aryna Sabalenka is a fighter, and the come-from-behind mentality and competitiveness matches her talent and ranking. Siegemund came into the quarterfinal not dropping a set and recording big wins over 2025 Australian Open Madison Keys, Peyton Stearns, and Leylah Fernandez.
Aryna Sabalenka Is Not Falling Victim To 2025 Wimbledon Upset Bug
Sabalenka has struggled in tight matches at Wimbledon, but she is pulling through. Mirra Andreeva and Iga Swiatek are the only other Top 10 ranked players remaining in the draw.
She is the first semifinalist of this year’s Wimbledon. Sabalenka awaits the winner of the Amanda Anisimova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova quarterfinal.
Anisimova, the 2025 Doha champion, has never lost to Pavlyuchenkova in her career and has won the first set.
This year’s Wimbledon is anything but ordinary, evidenced by the fact that no seeded player has been safe in any round.
Sabalenka remains the favorite to win her first Wimbledon. Her confidence will certainly increase from this win. She is 2-2 head-to-head against Pavlyuchenkova with her most recent win in three sets at the 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals. Sabalenka is 3-5 against Anisimova with a recent straight set win at the 2025 French Open.
