Aryna Sabalenka has remained resolute in a tournament full of shock upsets, beating former doubles partner Elise Mertens 6-4, 7-6 in their round of 16 clash.
2025 WTA Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
Wimbledon Tennis Championships
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, England (Outdoor Grass)
Selected Quarterfinals- 8th July
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Laura Siegemund
Sabalenka has now reached the quarterfinal stage or better in her last ten slams. Moreover, she became just the 4th woman to reach the quarterfinals of the first three Majors of the season without dropping a set in the first four rounds! Sabalenka had to absorb some tough resistance from Mertens (particularly in that 2nd set). Still, Sabalenka was exceptional on serve, winning 32 of her 38 first-serve points. The powerful Belarusian hit 36 winners to 18 unforced errors in a fearsome display of raw hitting power. The victory means that Sabalenka has now defeated Mertens in their last ten meetings. The World No.1 leads the tour in wins and titles this season and will feel confident making her 3rd Wimbledon semifinal appearance.
Next up for Sabalenka is German surprise package Laura Siegemund. At 37, Siegemund is the oldest woman left in this year’s draw. The German beat lucky loser Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2 (that round of 16 clash really typified how insane these championships have been). Siegemund has now reached a 2nd career Grand Slam quarterfinal (she reached the French Open quarters back in 2020). Siegemund is certainly a throwback type of player, employing a wide variety of slices and drop-shots to upset her opponent’s rhythm. She also loves to charge the net and that tactic has really paid dividends this fortnight (she is yet to drop a set). Siegemund has earned a reputation for some disruptive on-court behaviour and is notoriously slow between points. The German veteran will need to use every trick in the book if she wishes to continue her dream run.
The Verdict: Sabalenka to win straight sets at 0.21- Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 2-0, winning both of those meetings way back in 2019. I don’t think that Siegemund has much chance of catching Sabalenka unawares (despite her thrashing of Madison Keys in the 3rd round). Sabalenka is simply too powerful from the back of the court and will pass the German consistently. Sabalenka will put pressure on every Siegemund service game and should hold her own delivery fairly comfortably. I think going for under 18.5 games at 0.77 could offer some value.
Amanda Anisimova (13) 0.39 vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 1.9
I backed Amanda Anisimova this year and she hasn’t disappointed me. The American is surging towards a top-ten debut, battling past Linda Noskova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. The plucky American had her back against the wall in the 3rd set, trailing by a break against an inspired Noskova. The American
managed to wrestle control back in the closing stages, ultimately ending with 36 winners to 35 unforced errors (she won 88% of her forays to the net). Anisimova is into her 3rd career Grand Slam quarterfinal. She reached the quarters here back in 2022 and enjoyed a career-best semifinal run at the 2019 French Open. She is finally realizing her mammoth potential this season, winning a maiden WTA 1000 title in Qatar. She has looked really comfortable since the tour transitioned to grass, finishing runner-up in Queens before a quarterfinal run in Berlin (her win over Noskova improved her 2025 grass-court record to 10-2). She is one of the most in-form grass-court players in the world.
Veteran Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova continued her Grand Slam resurgence with a hard-fought 7-6, 6-4 win over British darling Sonay Kartel. She saved a set point in the first set and never looked back, ultimately progressing to a 10th career Grand Slam quarterfinal (she also reached the final eight at this year’s Aussie Open). This will actually be the first time since 2011 that she has reached multiple Grand Slam quarters in the same season. The Russian was diagnosed with Lyme disease in February and struggled in the immediate aftermath of that news. But she seems to have unlocked something on grass, reaching a maiden grass-court semifinal at the recent Lexus Eastbourne Open (she is now 8-1 for the year on grass). She has adapted her game in recent years, taking the ball earlier and staying closer to the net on quicker surfaces. She remains a powerful, strategic player and she will take some beating. Her forehand versus Anisimova’s backhand will be a battle to look out for.
The Verdict: Pavlyuchenkova to win in three sets at 5.4- Anisimova leads the head-to-head 3-0, winning their most recent meeting in three sets at last year’s Citi Open. This is going to be a tight one, with both ladies looking extremely impressive on grass this year. Anisimova’s double-handed backhand has been a thing of beauty while Pavyluchenkova’s forehand really came to the fore against Kartel. I know I have backed Anisimova in the lead-in to this tournament, but something tells me that the Russian could edge this one. She is an experienced Grand Slam operator who understands the pressures that come with this stage of the tournament. I see her improving her overall rand Slam quarterfinal record to 2-8.
