By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Contesting her 28th Grand Slam,  Elina Svitolina was weary of the waiting game.

Zapping a wide serve, Svitolina staved off stress and a tricky Karolina Muchova, 7-5, 6-4, surging into her first Grand Slam semifinal.

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The eighth-seeded Svitolina, the first Ukrainian woman to reach a major singles semifinal, will play former world No. 1 Simona Halep for a spot in the Wimbledon final.

"It's exciting and I'm looking forward to my semifinal," Svitolina said. "She's a very tricky player. I think grass suits her. I had to fight for every point and the key was putting one extra ball over the net. And I think it really helped me."

Widely regarded as one of the best players yet to reach a major singles final, Svitolina was winless in four prior major quarterfinals.

A clever all-court player, Muchova raced out to a 5-2 lead today before Svitolina stormed back to take control holding off a late-surge by the 68th-ranked Czech.

There was a time when Svitolina approached grass with all the enthusiasm of a woman playing on a patch of poison ivy. The 24-year-old Ukrainian fell in the first or second round in five of her prior six appearances.

Now, Svitolina stands one win from her first Slam final.

Playing for a place in her seventh major final, Halep has a greater Grand Slam record, but Svitolina leads their head-to-head series, 4-3.

“Well, every time was tough against Svitolina,” said Halep, who is 4-2 lifetime in Grand Slam semifinals, including a . “I expect a tough one also again. It's semifinals, so doesn't matter how many times you played before or how the score is, you just have to give your best and to try to win.”

Last February, Halep charged back from a 1-4 third-set deficit roaring through five straight games rallying past nemesis Svitolina, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, to reach the Doha final.

Muchova showed strong survival skills recovering from 3-5 down in the final set to upset third-seeded compatriot Karolina Pliskova a three-hour, 19-minute fourth-round clash that was the longest match of the tournament.

When Svitolina slid a backhand return winner down the line for a 5-2, double-break lead over a depleted Muchova, the finish line loomed as formality.

As boyfriend Gael Monfils and coach Andrew Bettles watched from the support box, Svitolina tightened up a a bit at closing time.

Muchova banged a brilliant backhand down the line for break point. Shaking her leg as if trying to loosen out the stress, Svitolina moved forward but bungled a volley as Muchova broke back in the eighth game.

That break gave the Czech a second wind. Svitolina was two points from the semifinals at deuce, but Muchova answered with all-court acumen. Two crisp volleys closed her hold in the ninth game shifting the pressure right back on Svitolina.

Serving for her first career major semifinal, Svitolina settled herself opening the court with a side-spinning forehand and finishing strong with a volley. Muchova laced a forehand down the line then lunged left for a sensational stretch volley for 30-all.

Versatility is a Muchova asset, but her tendency to overplay the drop shot put her down match point. Svtolina zapped a wide serve and leaped through to her first major semifinal, at last, in one hour, 32 minutes.