Wimbledon 2026 pages
Sports · Wimbledon 2026 · Women's Singles · Semi-finals
Linda Nosková vs Marta Kostyuk — 6-4 6-4
 Linda Nosková✓ | 6 | 6 |
 Marta Kostyuk | 4 | 4 |
Final · Thursday, July 9, 2026 · Semi-finals
Result
Nosková made the bigger hitter beat herself. Kostyuk arrived as the form player and swung like it — 22 winners to Nosková's six — but 22 unforced errors travelled with them, and on grass that arithmetic doesn't survive. Nosková, all clean lines and a 69%-first-serve afternoon, simply refused to hand anything back: she won 58% of her second-serve points to Kostyuk's 41%, broke three times to Kostyuk's once, and never faced a break point of her own worth the name. The 6-4 6-4 scoreline reads tidier than the tennis, which turned on a handful of loose Kostyuk service games rather than any grand shift. At 21, in her first major semi-final, Nosková closed it in 79 minutes and stands one match from a maiden Grand Slam title.
Linda NoskováRows the source hadn’t published are left off rather than guessed.
At this Stage
Linda Nosková is into her first Grand Slam final, and she got there by out-steadying the form player of the bottom half. Marta Kostyuk had beaten the 2024 finalist Paolini and arrived off a Roland Garros semi-final last month, and she out-hit Nosková 22 winners to six — but 22 unforced errors came with them, and the 21-year-old ninth seed took the two of them apart with a 69%-first-serve, break-three-times display, 6-4 6-4. I'd leaned Kostyuk on her hotter form and their 1–0 head-to-head; Nosková answered both. She now meets fellow Czech Karolína Muchová on Saturday in the first all-Czech Wimbledon women's final; Kostyuk leaves a match short of a maiden Grand Slam final.
Quarter-finals
What we know now
Court: This semi-final was second on Centre Court on Thursday 9 July
Match length: 1:19
Watch: ESPN · ESPN+
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.
Kostyuk, narrowly. This is close between two players in the second week of a major on grass for the first time, but the Ukrainian arrives with the deeper recent run — a Roland Garros semi-final last month — and the cleaner semi-final path, having overpowered the 2024 finalist Paolini for the loss of five games. She also owns their only meeting, 7-6 6-0 in Madrid in April, and her weight of shot and 90%-first-serve dominance in the quarters is the kind of ball that hurries Nosková's flatter, first-strike game. Nosková is the higher-ranked player and the bigger server, and one hot serving day can flip a best-of-three — but on form and head-to-head I lean Kostyuk.
The case for Linda Nosková
46% to winNosková is the higher-ranked player, a top-tenner and the bigger server, and on grass a hot serving day shortens any best-of-three. She has out-problem-solved Madison Keys and edged the crafty Mertens to get here, showing she can win the tight ones; if her flat, early ball lands she takes the time away from Kostyuk first.
The case for Marta Kostyuk
54% to winKostyuk is the form player of the two — a Roland Garros semi-finalist last month, now into her first Wimbledon semi on the back of a 6-3 6-2 dismissal of the 2024 finalist Paolini. She owns their only meeting, won 7-6 6-0 on clay in Madrid in April, and her heavier ball off both wings and 90%-first-serve day in the quarters are exactly what rush a first-strike opponent.
Both cases written 2026-07-09, before the first ball — frozen into the record exactly as written, whatever the result. The percentages are mine — opinions with a percent sign on. They add to 100 because tennis has no draw to hide the rounding in.
My locked pick: Marta Kostyuk to advance ✗ WRONG
“Kostyuk's hotter form — a Roland Garros semi last month — and their 1-0 head-to-head edge Nosková's bigger serve, narrowly.”
Locked 2026-07-09 01:00 UTC — rendered verbatim from the pick ledger; never a fresher, hedged version
Tale of the tape
Linda NoskováMarta KostyukPlayer vitals: ATP Tour player profiles and Wikipedia (career records) · as of 2026-07-09.
Career head-to-head: WTA head-to-head / TennisTemple · as of 2026-07-09.
Storylines
- The 12th seed Marta Kostyuk against the ninth seed Linda Nosková — both into a first Wimbledon semi-final, with a maiden Grand Slam final on the line.
- Kostyuk won their only prior meeting, 7-6 6-0 on clay in Madrid in April 2026; they have never met on grass.
- The winner meets Coco Gauff or Karolína Muchová in the final.
Head to head
Kostyuk leads 1–0 — she won their only meeting 7-6 6-0 in the Madrid quarter-finals on clay in April 2026. This is their first meeting on grass.
Source: WTA head-to-head / TennisTemple · as of 2026-07-09.
Injuries & withdrawals
| Both players | No injury or withdrawal concerns reported for either — both came through their quarter-finals without a fitness issue. | WTA / ESPN semi-final coverage · 2026-07-09 |
Injury news drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Court & schedule: This semi-final was second on Centre Court on Thursday 9 July, following Muchová–Gauff. (All England Club order of play (Thursday 9 July) / wimbledon.com results, as of 2026-07-09)
Weather: Thursday is the hottest day of the fortnight at SW19 — bright sunshine and highs around 34–35°C (mid-90s°F), with negligible rain risk as London's heatwave peaks. (Met Office All England Club forecast, as of 2026-07-09)
Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London — grass.