Key events
Chale! Serving at 4-6 1-1, Eubanks Air Jordans a smash like you wouldn’t believe, and in co-comms, John Lloyd discusses what a great lad he is, giving freely of his time to help at a tennis academy in one of the poorest congressional districts in the US, where they loved him so much they’ve set up a special watching area for his matches. And now he’s got 0-40 on the Medvedev serve…
In all this – OK, my – chatter, we shouldn’t forget the first women’s semi, between Elina Svitolina and Marketa Vondrousova. Svito is already the tennis story of the year, coming back from giving birth in October and returning to the tour just three months ago then, with the war in Ukraine dominating her thoughts, making the last eight in Paris and the last four here. Somehow – perhaps thanks to the peace in her personal life – she’s a better player now than when she took her break, and is competing with so much fire.
Yup, Medvedev serves out to 15, sealing a 6-4 first set with an ace down the middle. He’s moved through the draw almost unnoticed, and is visibly – but not literally! – growing on grass.
Ah man, it’s so good to see Martina looking so well. One of my first sporting heroes even before I understood the things about her that I understand now, she was a colossal figure even before her Real Housewives cameos, and I highly recommend the BBC’s God of Tennis series, one of which is about her and Chris Evert, definitely my first sporting crush. The story of their friendship is so moving.
On No1, Eubanks holds for 4-5, forcing Medvedev to serve for the first set.
This is, incidentally, the first time in the open era – which began in 1968 – that a quarter-final has featured two men aged 20 or younger.
Next on Centre: Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Holger Rune [6]. Ahahahahaha, don’t mind if we do!
Jabeur is pleased with how she managed her emotions, getting angry then getting calm, and she knew she had to go for every shot because if you take it easy against Rybakina it doesn’t work. She wishes she could exchange this match for last year’s final but, told the first set could’ve gone either way, it should’ve gone her way, and she was yelling at her coaches that they told her to play in the manner she was and it wasn’t working. She saw Sabalenka won quickly so wasn’t pleased about that, but knows she’s a great player and hopes the crowd will be with her; they roar their approval.
Wow! That was a proper arse-kicking, and not because Rybakina didn’t play well. Jabeur just worked her out and her level of performance matched her level of intelligence.
Ons Jabeur [6] beats Elena Rybakina [3] (5)6-7 6-4 6-1!
A brilliant, brilliant performance from Jabeur, who made the defending champ look leaden and lumpen. She meets Sabalenka in the semis and I want to watch that match right now.
On No1, Medvedev leads 4-3 with a break; Jabeur has 30-15, then nets a slice to make things close right as I’m going to type that she’s closing out without a hint of nerves. A serve out wide follows and Rybakina can’t control her return, so at 40-30, it’s match point!
Now then! Up 0-15, Jabeur murders a backhand winner down the line and though Rybakina closes to 15-30, she then swats a backhand wide and plenty ceding two break points. And even if she retrieves this game, the way the pair are playing, she’s relying on her opponent tightening on the line, because Ons has all the answers at the moment. AND THERE IT IS! Two booming backhands down the line, the second a wrongfooter as Rybakina returns to the open court, makes the double break and 5-1! Jabeur will now serve for the semis at 6-7 6-4 5-1!
From 15-40, Jabeur does superbly to make deuce, then on advantage plonks an ace onto the T like it’s nothing. At 4-1, Rybakina is running out of road, but her opponent has serious pressure in the post.
Anyone seen the Becker doc on Apple TV? I enjoyed it – I grew up with Boris so I’m biased because he’s part of my childhood, his first two Wimbledon wins possibly the greatest sporting achievement of my lifetime. It’s really good on the pressure of that – as was the case with George Best, how do you cope when you’re the first, so no one has a clue how to handle things? – and the archive is sensational.
It’s all Ons now, and she makes 0-30 before Rybakina – who’s never lost at Wimbledon when she’s won the first set – thrashes a backhand winner cross-court. A big serve follows and we wind up at deuce, the hold secured for 1-3 in the third.
Coco Gauff is in Eubanks’ box and he credits her – and Naomi Osaka – with convincing him he belongs at this level. He’s had a difficult start though, broken by Medvedev for 2-1, while Jabeur consolidates for 3-0 in the third, though she has to go through deuce to make it happen.
The force is with Ons and she makes 0-30, wise to Rybakina’s power now; there’s a mismatch of guile, I think, Jabeur able to craft angles that her opponent cannot, and read her like she wrote her. And on 0-40, she’s seeing it well enough to wait for a first serve, which she drills back to make the break! This is fantastic stuff, and Rybakina needs to change something because for now she’s fighting with a broadsword and being torn apart by someone brandishing a rapier.
Oh aye! With Jabeur serving at 30-15, Rybakina bangs a rare winner down the line – I wonder if she’ll go for that more often now her cross-court is getting read – and at 40-30, she finds a screeching backhand cross for deuce. Then, down advantage, she does it again, except this time, a careless volley offers the chance for a forehand winner and Jabeur tucks right in, securing her hold for 1-0 in the third; on No1, they’re under way with a hold apiece.
Jabeur was much the better player in that second set, landing more first serves, hitting 26 winners to 16, and generally playing with greater intensity and conviction. So, as in last year’s final, we need a third set to separate these two, and it might just be that this no longer a matchup but a rivalry.
Shonuff she slams down to the forehand; Jabeur returns then, when the ball comes back creams a forehand winner down the line and though it’s soon 15-all, another forehand winner, this time an even better shot cross-court, takes her two points away from the set. And when she lands a backhand onto the baseline, Rybakina can only dig out a floater, so Jabeur advances, puts away a winner for two set points … AND SHE ONLY NEEDS ONE! A short, weak second serve means she can come in, punish a backhand into the corner, and we’ve got ourselves out decider! Jabeur 6-7 6-4 Rybakina
Medvedev and Eubanks are out to knock up; Jabeur also makes her hold, for 6-7 5-4, with an ace onto the line that survives a challenge. At change of ends, we see a diagram of Rybakina’s serving, which shows that in the deuce court, she goes out wide 63% of the time, so Martina advises Ons to take a couple of steps to her right because at 4-5, no one is changing stuff up.
On Centre, our players are holding easily at the moment, Rybakina clinching 4-4 with an ace onto the T. We look headed for another tiebreak though, if you’re twisting my melons ear I’d say Jabeur looks the likelier.
“He may not wear a monocle but Christopher Eubanks with an ‘s’ is a class act,” returns Niall O’Keefe. “He seems so relaxed on court. Not a betting man but I have a hunch he will make the final and then anything can happen!”
Funny you say that, I’m broiges with him because in beating Tsitsipas, he ruined my otherwise very clever accumulator. But I agree, he seems quality, and am delighted to advise that Calv Betton, our resident coach, says he’s a top, top lad. He can definitely beat Medvedev if he serves like a boss, though I’d be staggered if he beat the winner of Alcaraz and Rune.
On another matter, would anyone like to deliver me some biscuits, sweets and crisps? In a move that’s retro even for a nostalgia junkie of my standing, I appear to have developed Covid and with it a ravenous desire to eat things that do not, in the opinion of some, constitute a meal.
On No1, by the way, they’re closing the roof – they left it after starting during the last match. On which point, I guess in the end, it went as we thought, Sabalenka just doing everything a bit better. Keys, though, brought it and had her chances; turning up and performing as she did will remind her she’s good enough to be there, and her level was high enough to have beaten either of yesterday’s winners pretty much whatever they did. At 28, she doesn’t have ages left, but I hope we look back at these championships as a turning point in her career.
Back on Centre, Jabeur now leads Rybakina 3-2 in the second having lost the first, and while I’m not partial – I love both of these – we, they and this match deserve a decider, so come on Ons.
Next on Court 1: Daniil Medvedev [3] v Christopher Eubanks
Sabalenka can’t wait to play her second Wimbledon semi and hopes she does better than last time when she somehow found away to lose to Pliskova. She thanks the crowd for creating the atmosphere, saying she enjoyed it even though they supported Keys more than her. She’s always dreamt of winning Wimbledon and doesn’t think it matters who she plays next as it’s a tough battle either way.
Aryna Sabalenka [2] beats Madison Keys [25] 6-2 6-4!
Another serve as big as a house, Keys can’t return, and Sabalenka is into another semi-final! She’s so much tougher under pressure now, and meets either Jabeur or Rybakina next.
…and she goes for it as you’d expect, clouting a fearless second serve only for Keys to drop a fine return short … and she can’t respond. No matter: another ludicrous serve gives Sabalenka a second match point…
A gigantic return to open the game gives Keys a sniff, but Sabalenka turns up the power to make 30-15 … do Keys does likewise, drilling away from the back until her opponent nets. Sabalenka, though, simply digs into her toolbox and removes a terrifying serve out wide, good enough to raise match point…
Rybakina nets a simple putaway volley at the net, giving Jabeur 0-30, then a half-court ball is punished, just about, the riposte to an injudicious drop going wide. Rybakina, though, saves the first two break points, the second with an ace out wide and onto the chalk … and the third with an ace down the middle. That’s absolutely superb behaviour and from there, Rybakina closes out for 7-6 1-1. Meantime, on No1, Sabalenka races to -40 – that’s 12 points on the spin for her since being broken – and though Keys saves the first break point, she can’t muster anymore, and out of nowhere, the number 2 seed will serve for the match at 5-4 in the second! That’s a lesson for Keys right there: at this level, you can’t lose focus, ever.
Oh Maddy! Maddy Maddy Maddy Maddy. From up 40-0 she finds herself down advantage, Sabalenka tucks into a barrage of backhands, and eventually forces the error. She leads 6-2 3-4. These matches are delivering everything they promised, but to make properly good they need a deciding set.
“Great double backhand from Jabeur to break Rybankina’s serve and go 6-5 up,” says Niall O’Keefe. “But it did look out! And Rybankina , incredibly, did not challenge. Maybe she saw it was in?”
Yeah, perhaps there was a puff of chalk.
Lovely from Jabeur, down 4-6 and finding a terrific wrongfooting backhand; Rybakina has one more set point on her own serve and finds a monster delivery down the middle that’s good enough. Jabeur (5)6-7 Rybakina
Keys gets her break! Sabalenka, whose first serves are going in less frequently now, goes wide and that’s 2-6 4-2!
Oh Maddy! Up break point, Sabalenka picks wrong, hitting the ball at her opponent with the court open … only for Keys nets a backhand that she just needed to get in play! She knows what a chance that was and looks frustrated when she makes advantage and can’t control her return. Credit to Sabalenka, though, who isn’t cowed to turn down the pace when put under. So we go back to deuce while, on Centre, Rybakina leads 5-3 in the tiebreak.