Linda Nosková vs Elise Mertens — 6-3 7-5

Result

Linda Nosková completed a maiden run to the last four. The ninth seed beat the 25th seed Elise Mertens 6-3 7-5 on No.1 Court, weathering a tight second set to close it out in one hour 50 minutes. Nosková's heavier ball produced 31 winners and seven aces, and though she converted only two of eleven break points, one break a set was enough against a Mertens side that mustered 17 winners and never found the return groove that had toppled Rybakina a round earlier. Nosková reaches her first Grand Slam semi-final.

Linda Nosková

Elise Mertens

7Aces4

3Double faults4

70%1st serve in56%

79%1st-serve points won71%

60%2nd-serve points won39%

111 mphFastest serve114 mph

2/11Break points won0/1

31Winners17

31Unforced errors23

9/12Net points won7/12

86Total points won68

1238 mDistance run1202 m

Stats: Official wimbledon.com match statistics (IBM) · as of 2026-07-09

Rows the source hadn’t published are left off rather than guessed.

At this Stage

Two first-time Wimbledon quarter-finalists met with a maiden semi-final guaranteed, and youth edged craft. The ninth seed Linda Nosková, 21, beat the 25th seed Elise Mertens — the 30-year-old former doubles world No. 1 who had stunned the second seed Elena Rybakina to get here — 6-3 7-5 on No.1 Court. Nosková's flatter, heavier ball took away the time Mertens's touch needed, and one break a set proved enough. Nosková reaches the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career, where the 12th seed Marta Kostyuk — a straight-sets winner over the 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini — awaits; Karolína Muchová and Coco Gauff meet in the other semi-final.

Marta Kostyuk✓

Ashlyn Krueger

Jul 5–6

6-4 6-4

Jasmine Paolini✓

Alexandra Eala

Jul 5–6

6-4 4-6 6-3

Linda Nosková✓

Madison Keys

Jul 5–6

6-4 7-6(2)

Marie Bouzková

Elise Mertens✓

Jul 5–6

6-4 6-4

Marta Kostyuk✓

Jasmine Paolini

Jul 7–8

6-3 6-2

Linda Nosková✓

Elise Mertens

Jul 7–8

6-3 7-5

Linda Nosková✓

Marta Kostyuk

Jul 9

6-4 6-4

Round of 16

Marta Kostyuk✓

Ashlyn Krueger

Jul 5–6

6-4 6-4

Jasmine Paolini✓

Alexandra Eala

Jul 5–6

6-4 4-6 6-3

Linda Nosková✓

Madison Keys

Jul 5–6

6-4 7-6(2)

Marie Bouzková

Elise Mertens✓

Jul 5–6

6-4 6-4

Quarter-finals

Marta Kostyuk✓

Jasmine Paolini

Jul 7–8

6-3 6-2

Linda Nosková✓

Elise Mertens

Jul 7–8

6-3 7-5

Semi-finals

Linda Nosková✓

Marta Kostyuk

Jul 9

6-4 6-4

What we know now

What I said beforehand

The preview, frozen before the first serve. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the pick worth anything.

Nosková, narrowly. This is close to a pick-'em: Mertens just produced the win of the women's fortnight, stunning the second seed Rybakina in straight sets, and her court sense and hands — honed to a former doubles No. 1's edge — are exactly the tools that trouble a bigger hitter on grass. But Nosková is the younger, heavier weapon, the higher seed, and the one who out-problem-solved Keys and survived a tiebreak against Cîrstea to get here. On a quick court her flat, early ball takes time away, and best-of-three gives the front-runner fewer chances to be reeled in. I lean Nosková on power and legs, with full respect for the veteran who beat the No. 2.

Both cases written 2026-07-07, before the first ball — frozen into the record exactly as written, whatever the result. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — and tennis has no draw to hide the rounding in.

Tale of the tape

Linda NoskováElise Mertens

0Career head-to-head0

21Age30

5′10″ (1.79 m)Height5′10″ (1.79 m)

—Weight—

Right-handed, two-handed backhandPlaysRight-handed, two-handed backhand

2019Turned pro2013

No. 12ATP rankingNo. 21

—2026 win–loss—

—Career on grass—

0Grand Slam titles0

Fourth round (2025)Best at WimbledonThird round

Tomáš KrupaCoach—

Player vitals: ATP Tour player profiles and Wikipedia (career records) · as of 2026-07-09.

Career head-to-head: WTA head-to-head / quarter-final previews · as of 2026-07-07.