“Seed is Just a Number” – Quartet Sets Stage for Wimbledon Semi-Finals

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Wimbledon is shaping up to be an electrifying tournament as four unseeded players—Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, Lulu Sun, and Donna Vekic—prepare to battle for spots in the semi-finals. With the women’s singles draw wide open, one of these rising stars will reach their first-ever SW19 final this Saturday.

The quartet makes up the same half of the women’s last eight, and on Tuesday, two of them will advance to their first semi-final at the All England Club. Italian seventh seed Paolini will face American 19th seed Navarro in the second match on Centre Court, scheduled for approximately 17:30 BST. Meanwhile, New Zealand qualifier Sun will compete against Croatia’s Vekic on Court One at 13:00 BST.

This year’s tournament has seen shocking upsets, with defending champion Marketa Vondrousova and six other top-10 seeds knocked out. The latest high-profile elimination was second seed Coco Gauff, who fell in straight sets to Navarro.

“The seed is just a number,” Gauff commented after her defeat. “It means nothing. Even though players may not be as well-known, they are incredibly talented.”

Navarro’s breakthrough season includes her first WTA Tour title in January and a fourth-round finish at the French Open last month. Her quarter-final opponent, Paolini, has also had a stellar year but had never won a match at Wimbledon until last week.

An unseeded player will definitely make it to the semi-finals, with world number 37 Vekic facing Sun, ranked 123rd. “People often underestimate players based on their rankings,” Gauff added. “There’s no easy draw. Everyone here deserves their spot.”

Tuesday’s matches will also feature the men’s quarter-finals, with top seed Jannik Sinner facing Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev on Centre Court at 13:30 BST. Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon champion, will take on American 12th seed Tommy Paul on Court One at approximately 15:30 BST.

Alcaraz expressed hope that his match would conclude in time for him to watch Spain’s Euro 2024 semi-final against France at 20:00. “I hope I can catch some of the match,” Alcaraz said. “I have a good relationship with the Spanish team, and they support me during my tournaments. It’s my turn now.”

Sinner, who won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year, faces Medvedev in a rematch of their thrilling final. Despite winning their first six meetings, Medvedev has now lost five consecutive matches to the 22-year-old Italian.

Medvedev remarked on Sinner’s improvement, “Jannik’s game has become very tough to beat. He used to miss a lot, but he’s improved significantly. Now, it’s challenging for anyone to beat him.”

As the tournament heats up, all eyes will be on Wimbledon to see which players will rise to the occasion and claim their spots in the semi-finals.