Star explodes at her own coaches box in fiery Wimbledon scenes
Fiery scenes have unfolded on centre court at Wimbledon as a top seeded star took aim at her own coaches box in a bizarre incident.
Welcome to news.com.au’s rolling coverage of the Day 10 action from Wimbledon.
Another dramatic day unfolded on the grass courts at the All England Club as the draw dwindles down to the semi-final stage.
Recap all the action below.
Panic stations as star causes mass confusion
Latvian star Jelena Ostapenko was not in the mood during her quarterfinal contest against Barbora Krejcikova.
As the 13th seed was being swept out of the grand slam event, she caused panic among her coaches box when she demanded one member leave the court.
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As the match began to slip away from her, Ostapenko returned to her chair before she turned the flamethrower on her team.
In a moment of panic and confusion, those within the box had no idea who she was pointing at and asking to leave centre court.
The tense exchange however did little to change the outcome of the contest as the 31st seeded Krejcikova proved too strong as she claimed the 6-4, 7-6 win to book her spot in the semi-finals where she’ll take on 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
“I told myself that I’m going to leave here everything I have and I’m really happy that I did and it’s a great moment for me,” said Krejcikova, who saw Ostapenko undone by 35 unforced errors. “It’s an unbelievable moment that I’m experiencing right now in my tennis career.”
Victory for the 28-year-old Krejcikova comes after a miserable run in 2024.
“It was a very, very difficult period. It was actually super difficult even before this tournament. I really want to thank my team that is there today,” said Krejcikova.
“There have been many doubts from inside but also from the outside world but I’m super happy that I never give up and that I’m standing here right now and that I qualified to be in the semi-finals.”
‘Best day of my life … after my son’s birth’
Lorenzo Musetti said reaching his first grand slam semi-final at Wimbledon was the best day of his life after the birth of his son.
Italian 25th seed Musetti defeated 13th-ranked Taylor Fritz of the United States 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 and will face seven-time champion Novak Djokovic for a place in the final.
“It’s a magic day,” said the 22-year-old. “I have to say after the birth of my son, I will put this in the second position today.
“For my career, is the best day of my life.” Musetti and his girlfriend Veronica Confalonieri became parents to son Ludovic in March this year.
Now Musetti has another special day on his agenda - facing Djokovic in a semi-final at the All England Club.
Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, was earlier handed a free pass into a 13th Wimbledon semi-final when Alex de Minaur withdrew from their scheduled last-eight tie with a hip injury.
Djokovic has a 5-1 winning record over Musetti, including a come-from-behind five-set victory at the French Open last month.
That third-round match set the record for the latest finish at Roland Garros, with Djokovic completing victory at 3:07 in the morning.
“Djokovic is a legend everywhere. We’ve played lots of times and I expect a huge fight,” said Musetti.
“It’s the toughest challenge in tennis but I am an ambitious guy and I like to be challenged. I will give 100 per cent.” The Italian added: “After matches with ‘Nole’, I always learn a lesson. “That last match against him was stressful. Against him you are more stressed because he’s probably the best player ever or one of the best players ever.”
Ruthless Rybankina marches on
Former champion Elena Rybakina crushed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday (AEST) to set up a Wimbledon semi-final against Barbora Krejcikova.
The 2022 winner from Kazakhstan broke the Ukrainian 21st seed four times in a match lasting just 61 minutes on Centre Court.
Rybakina was broken in the first game in front of the watching Queen Camilla but hit back straight away and barely put a foot wrong after that.
“It’s always tough to play against Elina, she’s a great player, great fighter. No matter the score, it is not as easy as it might look like,” she said.
“Of course I have such amazing memories from 2022 and I’m just enjoying every time I step on the court, especially when I play good. It’s just really amazing.”
Rybakina, the highest-ranking player left in the women’s draw, said she did not like to be labelled as the favourite, adding: “I have an aggressive style of game, I have a huge serve so it’s a big advantage.”
The 25-year-old Russian-born player crunched 28 winners to Svitolina’s eight, including seven aces.
Italian’s demolition job makes history
Jasmine Paolini swept aside Emma Navarro in straight sets to reach her first Wimbledon semi-final where she will face Donna Vekic.
Italian seventh seed Paolini, the runner-up at the French Open last month, triumphed 6-2, 6-1 over 19th seed Navarro in just 57 minutes.
The 28-year-old fired 19 winners to her opponent’s six as she celebrated a first win over the American, having lost three times this year.
Paolini had not won a tour-level main draw match on grass before this year. “It’s unbelievable, it’s amazing to get the win in this special court,” said Paolini, the first Italian woman in the Open era to make the last four at Wimbledon.
“I’m so happy to be in the semi-final, I don’t know what to say in this moment. “It’s a dream to be here in this position, to be in the semi-final. I was watching finals when I was a kid, on this court.” Paolini recovered from 1-2 down in the opening set and never looked back as Navarro was unable to repeat the form that accounted for Grand Slam title winners Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff in the previous rounds.
Paoloni is very much a late bloomer.
Until this season, she had never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam in 16 appearances.
That changed with a fourth-round run at the Australian Open followed by a runner-up finish to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros.
- with AFP