Donna Vekić’s amazing Wimbledon run ends in the semi-finals
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
LONDON, 11 July 2024 – Donna Vekić’s amazing run at Wimbledon has ended in the semi-finals this afternoon in London.
Vekić (28) was aiming to become the first Croatian woman ever to play in the Wimbledon final but she just fell short after a titanic battle with 7th seed Jasmine Paolini from Italy on Centre Court on Thursday.
The Croatian, who is playing in her 43rd Grand Slam, made a great start, breaking Paolini early in the first set before breaking again to take the first set 6-2 in just over 35 minutes.
Vekić kept up the pressure and had an early chance to break in the second set but could not capitalise. Both players would hold their serves until the 10th game when Paolini would break to take the set 6-4.
Vekić would break immediately at the start of the deciding set but the Italian would break back to make it 3-3. The Croatian would break straight back but again would her serves as both players began to struggle to hold.
In the end the match would be decided in a tie-break, and despite Vekić having match points, it would be the Paolini who would hold her nerve and she would eventually win 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) in just under three hours.
This is now the equal best performance by a Croatian woman at Wimbledon. Mirjana Lučić-Baroni also reached the semi-finals back in 1999.
Before today, Vekić’s best performance at a Grand Slam was reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in 2023 and at the US Open in 2019.
Paolini will now meet the winner of the second semi-final between Barbora Krejcikova and Elena Rybakina.
The final is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 13 July.
