Favourite Rybakina 'born' for Wimbledon success

In an unfastened women's draw, 1 subordinate has emerged arsenic nan evident favourite to triumph Wimbledon.

Elena Rybakina, champion successful 2022, is nan highest-ranked subordinate near successful nan title and is playing immoderate of her champion tennis since she lifted nan title.

Take, for example, her quarter-final triumph against Elina Svitolina. It took conscionable 61 minutes, pinch Rybakina hitting an awesome 28 winners.

The Kazakh world number 4 will bid for a 2nd Wimbledon last successful 3 years erstwhile she faces 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova successful nan 2nd semi-final connected Centre Court connected Thursday.

"This is thing I want to achieve, I want to do again," said Rybakina.

"Everybody wants to win. Everybody's going to fight."

Rybakina arrived astatine Wimbledon pinch constricted grass-court preparation, having retired from her second-round lucifer astatine nan Berlin Open pinch abdominal symptom and past withdrawing from Eastbourne.

But she has been successful formidable form, dropping conscionable 1 group - against Laura Siegemund successful nan 2nd information - and extending her awesome SW19 grounds to 19 wins from 21 matches.

Her triumph percent of 90.5 is bettered only by Ann Jones and Steffi Graf successful nan Wimbledon women's singles successful nan Open era.

"I deliberation that's an astonishing statistic," Rybakina told BBC Sport.

"When I first played connected writer I didn't consciousness comfortable, but my coach told maine 'you were calved for this, you conscionable request to support going'.'"

He proved correct, pinch Rybakina clinching nan title on conscionable her 2nd main-draw appearance.

She has moved done nan gears this twelvemonth successful a tie that saw rival Aryna Sabalenka retreat earlier her first lucifer and apical 2 seeds Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff suffer successful nan 3rd and 4th rounds respectively.

So who - if anyone - tin extremity Rybakina this year?

Krejcikova will return bosom from her 2-0 head-to-head grounds against Rybakina, coming done successful 3 sets successful meetings successful 2021 and 2022.

However, nan brace person yet to meet connected a writer court.

The Czech began nan play arsenic nan world number 10, but she has slipped down nan rankings since aft being hampered by unwellness and a backmost injury.

Krejcikova is nan only different Grand Slam singles champion near successful nan draw, but she has not played successful a awesome semi-final since her French Open triumph successful 2021.

Rybakina will besides cognize that Krejcikova has produced galore shocks this fortnight, upsetting 11th seed Danielle Collins successful nan 4th information and in-form Jelena Ostapenko successful nan quarter-finals.

In Thursday's different semi-final, seventh seed Jasmine Paolini faces Donna Vekic successful nan 2nd semi-final connected Centre.

Italian Paolini is simply a precocious bloomer. She had ne'er reached nan 2nd week of a Grand Slam until six weeks agone erstwhile she stormed to nan French Open final.

Incredibly, she had not won a main tie lucifer astatine Wimbledon until this summer's tournament.

She hit world number 12 Madison Keys successful nan 4th information earlier taking conscionable 58 minutes to dismantle 19th seed Emma Navarro successful nan quarter-finals.

Her force Vekic is besides appearing successful a first Wimbledon semi-final.

Just a period ago, nan 28-year-old Croat was connected nan verge of quitting tennis, having struggled pinch a tally of injuries.

Now she is connected nan champion Grand Slam tally of her career, having beaten qualifier Lulu Sun to scope a first awesome semi-final.

There is guaranteed to beryllium a British man successful nan men's doubles final, pinch Liverpool's Neal Skupski and Colchester-born Henry Patten facing 1 different successful nan semi-finals connected Thursday.

Skupski won past year's tourney alongside Dutchman Wesley Koolhof but is now partnering New Zealander Michael Venus.

Patten is paired pinch Finland's Harri Heliovaara, pinch nan British duo group to meet successful nan 2nd lucifer connected Court One.

In nan different semi-final, apical seeds Marcel Granollers of Argentina and Spain's Horacio Zeballos look Australian duo Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson.