Donna Vekić is first Croatian woman to reach Wimbledon semi-final in 25 years
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Donna Vekić (Photo credit: si.robi/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.)
LONDON, 9 July 2024 – Donna Vekić has sensationally advanced to the semi-finals of Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Achieving what no other female Croatian player has done in 25 years, Vekić triumphed over Lulu Sun in the quarterfinals today, securing her place in the semi-finals of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament.
The last Croatian woman to reach this stage was Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, a quarter of a century ago.
The 28-year-old Vekić was too strong for Lulu Sun, who has Croatian heritage on her father’s side and plays under the New Zealand flag.
After dropping a tight opening set, Vekić went on to win with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.
Vekić will compete for a spot in the final against the winner of the match between Italian Jasmine Paolini (WTA rank 7) and American Emma Navarro (WTA rank 17).
Currently ranked 37th in the world, Vekić reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 19 back in 2019.
“I have a full box of people there, and without them, I would not be here”
You can see what it means to @DonnaVekic 🫶 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/BfjKdJX9fk— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2024
She has claimed four WTA Tour singles titles: the 2014 Malaysian Open, the 2017 Nottingham Open, the 2021 Courmayeur Ladies Open, and the 2023 Monterrey Open.
Additionally, she has secured five singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit. Her best Grand Slam performance to date is reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships in singles.
