Sabalenka aces Siegemund test to seal semi-finals berth

The world No.1 struggled against her unfancied German rival before winning in three sets

- Shahid Judge

Aryna Sabalenka sank to her knees, arms waving, complaining to her box as she sent what should have been an easy forehand putaway horribly wide.

Over a hundred spots separate top seed Sabalenka and world No.104 Laura Siegemund in the WTA rankings. But on Tuesday, in front of a packed Centre Court at the All England Club, the German hassled, harried, frustrated, annoyed and pushed Sabalenka to the edge.

Just when it seemed that Siegemund was poised to pull off the greatest win of her career and give Wimbledon the biggest upset of this edition, Sabalenka clawed her way back to pick up a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win and make it to a third semifinal at SW19.

"That was a real task. She pushed me so much," Sabalenka said, still breathless in her on-court interview after the two-hour, 54-minute match. "Honestly, after the first set, I was looking at my box thinking, 'guys, book the tickets, we're about to leave this beautiful place."