Two matches, one court, one afternoon. Wimbledon shrinks the women's draw from eight to two on Thursday and the four survivors of Tuesday's quarter-final day walk out onto Centre Court knowing whoever wins the second match at 3 p.m. local also has a rest day between semi-final and final — the men's side plays Friday. Sabalenka against Gauff first, the top two seeds in the tournament splitting a rivalry that keeps producing three-set finals. Then Świątek against Anisimova, the reigning French Open champion against the American who has quietly not dropped serve since the first Monday.
The two semi-finals at a glance
Sabalenka vs Gauff: the third act
This is the twelfth time these two have played and the second time in three months at a Slam. The last-four meeting is starting to be a fixture the WTA calendar can plan around. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 7-4 across every surface and 6-2 on hard courts, but her only two wins on grass came before Gauff's serving overhaul in late 2024 — the higher toss, the flatter delivery, the extra 12 mph of average speed. On the Centre Court grass that has now been played on for eleven days, Gauff's serve is not a placeholder anymore; it is a shot she can win points behind.
Sabalenka's answer is a returner's aggression that has always been the ceiling of her ranking. She steps into second serves and takes the ball early enough that the server never gets to reset. That plan needs one specific thing on grass: it needs the second serve to sit up rather than skid. Wimbledon second-week courts do sit up. She won the quarter-final against Bencic in two tight sets because Bencic's second serve became a target after the fifth game. Gauff's second serve on this surface is a different order of ball.
The tactical hinge is Sabalenka's forehand cross-court to Gauff's backhand. It is the pattern Gauff has spent two years defending on hard courts by running around the ball and re-directing down the line. On grass with a low bounce, that escape route closes. If Sabalenka can hit five of those in a row without missing, she opens up the up-the-line forehand winner she has been finishing points with all fortnight.
Świątek vs Anisimova: the return
Anisimova is the story that keeps getting louder. She reached the fourth round here in 2022 as a 20-year-old, then disappeared for two years with the burnout leave she announced on social media in the summer of 2023, then returned in the spring of 2024 and has been climbing steadily since. This Wimbledon is her first Slam semi-final. She has not been broken in the tournament. Zheng Qinwen took a set from her in the quarter-final and she still finished 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 without ever losing serve twice in a match.
Świątek is playing the version of grass tennis she has promised for four years and never quite delivered until this fortnight. The forehand takeback is shorter, the slice backhand is sharper, and she is coming to the net on the eighth ball rather than the fourteenth. The Kostyuk defeat at Roland-Garros in the round of 16 seems to have unlocked something rather than damaged her; she has looked freer since. The Navarro quarter-final was a 6-1, 6-2 that never once suggested she was uncomfortable on the surface.
The matchup depends on whether Anisimova's flat, early groundstrokes give Świątek less time than she wants to set up the forehand. Anisimova has always had one of the shortest backswings in the top thirty. Her Wimbledon has been about taking the ball on the rise and denying her opponent the rhythm. Świątek's answer is to move Anisimova sideways rather than deep. The pattern to watch is the Świątek serve out wide from the ad court to open the down-the-line forehand.
What is at stake
Sabalenka has never won Wimbledon. She has reached three semi-finals, lost two, and pulled out of the third in 2024 with a shoulder injury. Gauff has never reached the Wimbledon final. Świątek has one, in 2023, and has otherwise failed to make a semi-final on grass. Anisimova has never been past the fourth round at any Slam that isn't Roland-Garros. Whoever wins Thursday has a legitimate case for the fortnight regardless of what happens Saturday.
How to watch
- UK: BBC One, 1:30 p.m. through the second match. BBC iPlayer for full coverage.
- United States: ESPN and ESPN+ from 8:30 a.m. ET. Both matches on the main channel.
- Australia: Nine and 9Now, delayed prime-time in most states.
- Rest of Europe: Eurosport and its streaming partners.
Follow live scores and set-by-set updates on the Scorelisto blog and check the full Wimbledon draw as it plays out.
FAQ
When is the Wimbledon 2026 ladies' singles final? Saturday July 11 on Centre Court, 2 p.m. local. The winner of Thursday's two semi-finals plays for the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Do the semi-finalists get a day off before the final? Yes. Friday is the men's semi-final day; the women rest Friday and play Saturday.
How is the roof used? Only if rain hits or light closes. Thursday's forecast is mid-afternoon cloud without expected rain, so Centre should stay open. If the second match runs past 8 p.m. the roof closes for the finish.
Are Sabalenka and Gauff seeded to play each other every Slam? No, but they draw close often. The top two seeds are placed in opposite halves. That both reached the semi-final in the same half here is a quirk of an all-bottom-half draw that also produced this year's French Open final.