Dazzling Donna Vekic first into Wimbledon semi-finals after coming from a set down to vanquish qualifier Lulu Sun
WTA
Donna Vekic is a Grand Slam semi-finalist and will face the winner of Emma Navarro v Jasmine Paolini in the wide open section at 2024 Wimbledon for a spot in the final with the talented Croat finally achieving her grass court potential.
Vekic ended the run of the qualifier Lulu Sun 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 who has been one of the stories of the tournament and will leave with her head held high albeit with a potential missed opportunity in this case after taking the first set.
But Vekic rallied superbly also to stave off some nerves in sealing the second set in which she hit three double faults in a row before finally claiming it. But when she settled down, it was rampant from there as she breezed through the deciding set 6-1 going 5-0 up at one point before Sun finally put a game on the board.
But it was only points she won for the rest of the match and she won only two points all set on the Vekic serve showing how rampant she was as she breezed through her final service game to book a spot in the semi-finals.
Coached by the legendary Pam Shriver, she will hope to use her nous to approach a Grand Slam semi-final. Albeit grass is a surface which she has had most of her success on just not at Wimbledon. She reached a final only two weeks ago at Bad Homburg and has previously won Nottingham. So it has been in her but approaching a Grand Slam is a completely different kettle of fish.
For Sun, she has become a real star and the Kiwi-Swiss ace will certainly be one to watch out for in the stakes of will she improve on this or simply fade away and be a footnote in Wimbledon history. She certainly will have the ranking now to approach the tour differently. While Vekic will head towards the top 20 for sure after this run as she makes further strides back towards her best. Next up Navarro or Paolini await.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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