Kerber into last four
Finally, finally, finally a seed has survived. Angelique Kerber started Day Eight as the highest seed left in the ladies' singles. And – shock news – she ended the day as the highest seed left in the ladies singles.
Kerber, seeded No.11, beat Daria Kasatkina, seeded No.14, 6-3, 7-5 to reach the semi-finals which, when put like that, sounds fairly straightforward. But in a Fortnight like the one we are having this year, that was huge. And for the lucky souls who saw it, it does not even begin to explain what happened.
For 89 minutes, the two women kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. The quality of the rallies, the sheer chutzpah of some of the winners, had everyone enthralled. And even though it was Kerber who collected a handbag full of match points at the end, no one had any clue who would emerge victorious until the final point was called. It was cracking stuff from both of them.
“I was expecting a really tough and close match against Daria,” a delighted and relieved Kerber said. “We played so many tough battles in the past. Today I was just trying to play point by point. I think we both played on a really high level, especially at the end. I was just trying to stay focused during my serve at the end and it’s great being in the semis.
“I was just thinking that I was just running everywhere on the court. She played really well, she was moving me very much. At the end, I was not thinking too much ‘that’s the match point’ or whatever, I was just playing another point and trying to take the match in my hand at the end. I was pushing myself until the limits.”
On paper, this looked like there would not be a gnat’s fingernail between the two ladies. (For those of a pedantic nature, we do know that gnats do not have fingernails, painted or otherwise, but we are using artistic licence here.) Their head-to-head was 3-3, but Kerber did have the slight edge: she had won their one and only grass court encounter. It was at Eastbourne just a matter of weeks ago but, even though the German won it, it took more than two hours and she just edged it 7-6 in the third set.
Cooler conditions
Yet, as they stepped out on to a – thankfully – cooler Centre Court with the breeze swirling around the arena, Kasatkina’s nerves and emotions were being blown hither and thither. This was her first appearance in a Wimbledon quarter-final; she had every right to feel a little nervy. But it was not her first Grand Slam quarter-final – she reached the last eight at Roland-Garros last month, so she knew she had the game to challenge in the second week of a major championships.
But there was no time to waste in taking on a double Grand Slam champion and Wimbledon finalist. Kerber knew her way around the court and she knew her way around this stage of a tournament – and that was world its weight in gold. Before Kasatkina had time to breathe, Kerber was 3-0 up and seemingly cruising.
Until this point, the Russian had won just six points. But when she finally managed to get her pulse rate down to reasonable levels, she started to do what she does best: wallop her serve and crack her forehand. That is not to forget her flying backhand, that remarkable shot seldom seen on the WTA Tour with the hitch-kick at the point of impact. Described by Tracy Austin as a “mule-kick backhand” it looks as it sounds and can hit the opposition hard if it lands on target (although it is hard to imagine the diminutive and elegant Ms A trying the shot in the Ladies’ Invitational Doubles).
Wild horse
Kasatkina’s coach, Philippe Dehaes, compares his charge to a wild horse: he cannot tame her so he just tries to lead her towards the right path. It is still a work in progress, clearly. After all, this is the woman who admits that she would happily spend a couple of hours a day practising her tweeners. Indoors. Lobbing herself (a difficult enough thing to do in itself), she would run back and ping the tweener back time and again. History does not record what state the wallpaper was in by the time she had finished.
At only 21, Kasatkina is still learning her craft. Regardless of the result against Kerber, she had made one giant stride forward. At Roland-Garros, she had frozen against Sloane Stephens in the last eight; against Kerber – after her early jitters – she just lost. That will serve her in good stead in the future.
Throughout most of the two sets, Kerber was methodically making her way to the semi-finals. And then, just when she looked to have guaranteed her place, the nerves set in. With her eyes on the finish line at a set and 4-3, she had taken her eye off the ball, the same ball that Kasatkina was absolutely leathering, especially that topspin forehand that she has modelled on Rafa Nadal’s.
This was two breaks of serve into a streak of six successive breaks until, in a titanic 10-minute final game, a game of 16 points and seven match points, Kerber, the former champion got her way. Even when Kasatkina was down – she fell twice in one rally – she was still not out, and sprang back time and again to test the former world No.1’s nerve and patience. But Kerber eventually pulled rank and it is she who will face Jelena Ostapenko on Thursday.
