Kostyuk Blazes By Paolini Into Wimbledon Semifinals v. Noskova

Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Photo credits: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport

A cool Queen and scorching swelter couldn’t stifle Marta Kostyuk’s blazing Centre Court debut.

As Queen Camila waved a Wimbledon fan to fight the heat in the Royal Box, a dynamic Kostyuk dismissed former finalist Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 surging into her maiden Wimbledon semifinal in style.

Playing with relaxed intensity, Kostyuk won 19 of 21 first-serve points and did not face a break point to advance to her second straight Grand Slam semifinal, following her final four run in Paris last month.

 “First of all, hello Centre Court,” a smiling Kostyuk said in her on-court interview. “First time playing on this unbelievable court and obviously a dream come true.

“Winning here was not even in the plans today, I just wanted to go out enjoy, put on a good show. It’s always incredible to play in front of a packed stadium. Here, it’s always packed so thank you so much guys for your energy today.”

Combining the grace of a ballerina with the grit of a boxer, Kostyuk celebrated an efficient 69-minute sweep with her signature pirouette. Kostyuk, who has won 21 of her last 22 matches, joins compatriot Elina Svitolina as the second Ukrainian woman to reach the Wimbledon final four.

Already one of the most audaciously gifted athletes in the game—the former gymnast erupted in a backflip to celebrate her Madrid Open championship in May—Kostyuk landed a monumental win cracking the Top 10 for the first time in the WTA Live Rankings.

The 13th-seeded Kostyuk will face hard-hitting Linda Noskova tomorrow for a spot in Saturday’s final.

On No. 1 Court, Noskova did not drop serve in a 6-3, 7-5 victory over former Wimbledon doubles champion Elise Mertens.

The flat-hitting Noskova, who converted two of 11 break-point chances, 

The 21-year-old Noskova, the youngest woman still standing, is into her first Grand Slam semifinal. Over the last two years, Noskova has posted 18 grass-court wins—most of any WTA player in that span.

Kostyuk defused Noskova, 7-6, 6-0, en route to the Mutua Madrid Open championship.

Strong family ties have powered Kostyuk to the most commanding stretch of her pro career and she credited her biggest fan for fueling her.

“I’m so happy I’m able to do this while my grandpa is still alive. He’s 89 years old,” Kostyuk said. “He’s texting me after every single match, telling me what I should do better.

“I mean, these past few matches he didn’t. He was just super proud, telling me how good I’m playing. That’s a win. I didn’t get a lot of messages from him like this in my life (smiling). I’m very happy that they get to witness this.

“I think they sacrificed so much of time and energy and themselves for my tennis, for my career. They still do. They’re back home now. I feel like they deserve it as much as I do.”

Today, Kostyuk covered the court with acrobatic grace and self-assurance speeding out to a 4-2 lead and repeatedly calling the shots in baseline rallies.

“She’s playing great tennis in the last three months. She has a lot of confident, for sure,” Paolini said of Kostyuk. “She’s a great athlete. She play tennis very well. A lot of things that I think she does
pretty well.

“Today for me maybe was even more difficult because, as I said, I didn’t move and I didn’t feel so fast on court. But credits to her, because she made me feel more stressed on court, more under pressure and stuff like that.”

Treating Paolin’s second serve with the vitriol of a hungry kid pounding a pinata to free candy, Kostyuk clubbed a forehand return down the line for set point.

When Paolini sprayed an inside-out forehand wide, the Ukrainian was one set away from a maiden Wimbledon semifinal.

Kostyuk controlled the 35-minute opener hitting seven more winners—11 to 4—forcing the Italian to play off her back foot at times and applying her speed to shrink Centre Court.

The personable Paolini wears a smile so bright it could make grass grow.

The perpetually–positive Paolini hit her inside-out forehand with such precision in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Filipina phenom Alexandra Eala, could not match Kostyuk in forehand exchanges today.

At times, Kostyuk was clocking forehands seven miles an hour faster than Paolini. More importantly, Kostyuk cranked finishing forehands—both down the line and deep crosscourt—with greater frequency.

The 2024 Wimbledon finalist double faulted then sailed a forehand long to cede the 3-1 second-set lead to her opponent.

In the rare moments Paolini pressured the Ukrainian’s serve, Kostyuk attacked with speed and flash to finish at net. Deadlocked at deuce, Kostyuk hit a slick full-stretch forehand volley that kissed the tape and dribbled over. That bit of improvised dazzle helped her hold for 6-3, 4-1.

On her second match point, Kostyuk slide a backhand pass down the line to wrap a masterful 69-minute win.

In her Centre Court debut, Kostyuk twirled through another test with grace and looks committed to extended encore.

“I feel like losses and difficult moments are great for you and for your life to just get better, because if everything was good always, how would you be able to grow.” Kostyuk said. “I try to embrace that challenge that I have. It wasn’t easy for most of my life to think this way. It took a lot of work.”