Following in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic on Centre Court 24 hours earlier, Aryna Sabalenka recovered from an early setback to put her Wimbledon quest back on track.
Despite knocking out Australian Open champion Madison Keys former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in previous rounds, few expected doubles specialist Laura Siegemund would continue her run against the world No 1 in their quarter-final clash.
But the German veteran pushed Sabalenka to her limits after dropping a set for the first time in this year's tournament before eventually going down 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“That was a real test,” admitted two-time semi-finalist Sabalenka, who will now take on either 13th seed Amanda Anisimova or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in Saturday’s final. “I need some time to cool down and recover after this.
“She pushed me so much. After the first set I was looking at my box and thinking, 'book the tickets, we are about to leave this beautiful place'. She played an incredible tournament and match. I'm just super happy with the match and win.”
The previous day, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic had suffered a nightmare first set before recovering to overcome Alex de Minaur and reach a 16th quarter-final at the All England Club.
Sabalenka suffered a stalled start of her own while her 37-year-old opponent – playing in only her second Grand Slam singles quarter-final – came flying out the blocks, racing into 3-0 lead and 5-2 leads before securing the opener.
The pair exchanged breaks at the start of the second before three-time Grand Slam champion took control and levelled the tie in what was Siegemund's first dropped set this year at Wimbledon.
Siegemund punished a series of errors to break in the third game of the deciding set before Sabalenka levelled at 3-3.
When Sabalenka served up a double-fault and two unforced errors, Siegemund was within touching distance of the semi-finals.
But Sabalenka refused to surrender, breaking again as the emotional rollercoaster continued, before finally sealing her victory with a roar of relief.
In the men's draw, Taylor Fritz secured a Grand Slam semi-final spot for only the second time after coming through in four sets against Karen Khachanov.
The American fifth seed – who was beaten by Jannik Sinner in last year's US Open final – appeared to be coasting into the last four as he ripped through the first two sets giving up only seven points in his 10 service games.
But Russia's Khachanov, the 17th seed also targeting a first Wimbledon semi, clicked into gear as he won eight of the next nine games to take the third set and move a break up in the fourth.
Fritz regained his composure by fighting back to ensure he avoided a repeat of his five-set battles with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Gabriel Diallo in the opening two rounds.
The 27-year-old, who lifted ATP Tour grass titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last month, reclaimed the break before going on to win the tiebreak and seal a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 victory in two hours and 36 minutes.
“I’m feeling great to get through it,” said Fritz – who will take on either Carlos Alcaraz or Cameron Norrie for a place in the final – in his on-court interview. “I feel like the match was going so well for me for two sets.
“I’ve never had a match really just flip so quickly, so I’m really happy with how I came back in the fourth set and got it done. I think the momentum was definitely not going to have been on my side going into a fifth.
“It's an amazing feeling,” he added. “Having played the quarter-finals here twice and lost in five twice I don't think I could have taken another one.
“I'm really happy with how I've really turned my career around over the last four years or so. I've put in a lot of work, and it's great to see the results.”
