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Belinda Bencic, who became a mother last year, was euphoric after defeating Mirra Andreeva 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to progress to the women's singles semifinals at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. The former WTA No. 4 also became the first Swiss player since the legendary Roger Federer to reach a singles semifinal at the prestigious grass Major.
Bencic locked horns with the incredibly talented Russian teenage prodigy Andreeva for a place in Wimbledon's last four on Wednesday, July 9. The contest turned out to be a tight one, with both players managing to convert one out of four break points each. However, the Swiss did wonderfully well to hold her own in the two set tiebreaks.
During her post-match on-court interview, Belinda Bencic candidly shared her emotions at having reached her maiden Wimbledon singles semifinal. The 28-year-old said:
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"It's crazy (reaching the Wimbledon semis). It's unbelievable. It's a dream come true. I tried not to think about it at the match point. I had trouble last time with the match points. So, I'm just speechless."
Set to return to the WTA singles top 20 once the new rankings are officially published after the conclusion of the grass Major, Bencic also brought up her only past Grand Slam semifinal experience, which came at the 2019 US Open. On that occasion, the Swiss was beaten by eventual champion Bianca Andreescu in the last four of the hardcourt Major in New York.
"Honestly, it's just my second semifinal of a Grand Slam overall and the first one at Wimbledon, so, yeah, just speechless. So happy," she added.
Former ATP No. 1 and 20-time Slam champion Roger Federer was the last Swiss singles player to reach the semis at Wimbledon back in 2019. Federer made it all the way to the final that year, but had to ultimately settle for second-best after Novak Djokovic came out on top in the final, which went down as a memorable five-setter.
Belinda Bencic started 2025 tennis season ranked outside top 400
In November 2023, Belinda Bencic announced her pregnancy. She gave birth to daughter Bella in April 2024 and returned to competitive action in October the same year.
The Swiss player's return to the WTA top 20 makes for a remarkable story considering the fact that she began the 2025 tennis season ranked the World No. 489. Her biggest achievement so far this year with the exception of her ongoing run at SW19 came at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she triumphed in the final against Ashlyn Krueger.
In the semifinals of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Bencic is set to lock horns with former No. 1 and five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek. The Swiss and the Pole have clashed on four previous occasions, with the latter leading the head-to-head 3-1.
