Wimbledon 2026: Noskova and Kostyuk storm into semifinals

Czech ninth seed Linda Noskova reached her first Wimbledon semifinal after beating Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The 21-year-old controlled the match from the beginning and wrapped up the victory in one hour and 50 minutes despite the hot conditions on Court One. Noskova will now face Ukraine’s 12th seed Marta Kostyuk in Thursday’s semifinal.

This was only the second Grand Slam quarterfinal of Noskova’s career after the Australian Open 2024 and the win sends her into a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.

She arrived at Wimbledon in excellent form after winning the Berlin Open, her first title on the grass. At the All England Club, she has continued that momentum, defeating former Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the fourth round before overcoming Mertens.

After reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, Noskova is now just one win away from her first Grand Slam final.

Speaking after the match, she said she was thrilled with the result and admitted that she felt nervous before the match but added that pressure often brings out her best tennis. She also said playing on the biggest stages is what motivates her.

“The feelings are incredible, like never before. This is what I am playing tennis for, these big stages and big matches,” she said.

“I was a little bit nervous before the match, I am not going to lie. When I am putting pressure on myself that is usually when I play my best. I really enjoyed this match.”

For Mertens, the defeat ended an impressive run that included a victory over second seed Elena Rybakina.

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Kostyuk books another Grand Slam semifinal

Earlier on Wednesday, Marta Kostyuk defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 in just one hour and nine minutes to secure her place in the semifinals.

The win marks Kostyuk’s second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal and strengthens her push for a place in the WTA top 10.

Kostyuk produced an outstanding performance, winning 90 per cent of her first-serve points and 67 per cent of her second-serve points. She did not face a single break point during the match.

She broke Paolini twice in the opening set and took control early in the second by moving ahead 3-1. Although Paolini tried to fight back, Kostyuk stayed in control with powerful serving and aggressive groundstrokes.

The Ukrainian sealed the victory and will now meet Noskova for a place in the Wimbledon final.

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Paparkar enters boys’ quarterfinals

In the boys’ singles event, India’s Arnav Vijay Paparkar defeated Japan’s Ryo Tabata 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

Tabata, who had heavy strapping on his left knee, needed medical treatment during the first set. Paparkar took advantage, breaking his opponent twice to claim the set.

Tabata struggled to move freely in the second set and Paparkar completed the win in just 52 minutes.