Marta Kostyuk relishes center court debut, seals first Wimbledon semi-final

Marta Kostyuk’s dream Center Court debut ended in a historic milestone as the Ukrainian outclassed Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to reach her first Wimbledon semi-final on Wednesday. The win sent Kostyuk to back-to-back Grand Slam semifinals after making her French Open debut last month, cementing her status as one of the top players on the WTA Tour.

The 24-year-old has now won 21 of her last 22 matches, extending a stunning run that began after returning from an injury sustained during the Australian swing. Her improved movement, aggressive shooting and growing confidence have made her a real title contender, with every aspect of her game falling into place.

Kostyuk also became the latest centre-court debutant to embrace the occasion, producing one of the best performances of her career to set up a Wimbledon semi-final against Czech Linda Nosková.

After the match, Kostyuk admitted that playing on center court fulfilled a lifelong dream.

“Playing on this incredible court is obviously a dream come true. Winning here today wasn’t even the plan. I just wanted to go out and enjoy it and put on a good show. It’s always incredible to play in front of a packed stadium and it feels like it’s always packed here. So thank you guys so much for your energy today.”

She also revealed that she visited center court a day earlier to look around before her debut.

“One hundred percent. Thank God my trainer made me come here yesterday. I was amazed by this entrance and everything inside. I was like, ‘Wow, I need a day to recover from what I saw.’

“I was on this court once as a spectator, nine years ago, watching Roger. It was super special to be back here as a player. I did a kind of walk of honor on center court, then I sat next to him and took it all in for a while. And now, after the victory, I’m going to soak it all in one more time,” added Kostyuk.

KOSTYUK DOMINATES PAOLINI

Kostyuk controlled the match from the opening exchanges with fearless first-hand tennis, taking Paolini’s time with deep returns and powerful forehands. The Italian broke serve in the sixth game of the opening set to move into a 4-2 lead before taking the set 6-3 in confidence.

The Ukrainian kept up the intensity after the exchange and secured another break for a 2-1 lead in the third game of the second set. As Paolini struggled to find answers, Kostyuk continued to dictate the moves, earning his second break of the set in the seventh game to move to 5-2.

She then served out the match with authority, completing a composed and dominant performance in just over an hour to book her first Wimbledon semi-final place.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

08 Jul 2026 19:51 IST