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Halep battles into Wimbledon semi-finals

Ian Chadband and Darren WaltonAAP
Romania's former champion Simona Halep has powered into the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Camera IconRomania's former champion Simona Halep has powered into the Wimbledon semi-finals. Credit: AP

Simona Halep has subdued a gallant fightback from Amanda Anisimova to battle into the semi-finals of Wimbledon again with a 6-2 6-4 triumph on centre court.

The 2019 champion appeared to be sailing to the most straightforward of victories as she led 5-1 in the second set on Wednesday.

Yet she was pegged back by her 20-year-old big-hitting opponent, who broke Halep's delivery as the Romanian was serving for the match at 5-2.

Halep, serving for the match a second time at 5-4, then faced three more break points as she fell behind 0-40.

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But the two-time grand slam champ summoned up some fine serving to reel off the next five points and make her first semi-final of a grand slam for two years.

She'll next face Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic or Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the last-four.

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"It's great to be back in semi-finals," said the Romanian. "I'm very emotional, it means a lot to be back in the semi-finals. I had to stay strong on my legs and I believed to the end that I could win."

"It's definitely the best tennis I've played since 2019 when I won here. The tennis is here; I just have to believe."

Halep's win came the day after Ons Jabeur, the highest-ranked player left in the draw, moved two tantalising wins away from becoming Africa's first women's grand slam singles champion.

But first the Tunisian trailblazer must overcome her "barbecue buddy" Tatjana Maria, herself chasing a small slice of tennis history as the first mother to win Wimbledon since Australian great Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.

The unfancied Maria was the first player through to Thursday's semi-finals following a 4-6 6-2 7-5 comeback win over fellow German outsider Jule Niemeier, who was making her Wimbledon main-draw debut.

Edging ever closer to penning one of sport's great tales, third seed Jabeur also recovered from a set down in Tuesday's second quarter-final to thwart Czech Marie Bouzkova 3-6 6-1 6-1.

Maria, though, is on the verge of becoming one of the most unlikeliest finalists in the tournament's 145-year history.

The world No.103 is just the sixth woman in the open era to reach the semis after turning 34, joining legends Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Serena and Venus Williams.

"One year ago, I just gave birth," Maria said. "It's crazy."

And now-14-month-old Cecilia was her second child, too.

Her first daughter Charlotte, born in 2013, was watching on last week as Maria ventured beyond the third round of a slam for the first time in 35 attempts.

She'd never even made it that far at the other three majors.

Outside the top 250 as recently as March, Maria had lost in the first round at the 2021 US Open and 2022 Australian Open and French Open since returning from maternity leave.

That all changed on the grass courts of London's SW19.

Maria beat three seeded players in a row in her run to the last eight - Sorana Cirstea in her second match, fifth seed Maria Sakkari in the third round and No.12 Jelena Ostapenko in the last 16.

But tennis is merely her day job.

"To be a mum of my two kids, for me that's the most important in my life," she said.

"Nothing will change this. I'm here, yeah, I'm in the semi-final of Wimbledon, it's crazy, but I'm still a mum."

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