Czech Pliskova 1st to reach Wimbledon semi-finals

London: Karolina Pliskova finally had a chance to play in a Wimbledon quarterfinal, and she made the most of it.

The tour veteran lost only 13 points on her serve and beat unseeded Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals.

Pliskova, who is seeded eighth, erased all three break points she faced. The Czech has been broken only three times in the tournament and has yet to drop a set.

Pliskova was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2016, but this is her deepest run at a Grand Slam since early 2019. She is playing at Wimbledon for the ninth time and had never previously been beyond the fourth round.

An overnight break helped No. 14-seeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland rally past No. 2 Daniil Medvedev to earn the last quarterfinal berth at Wimbledon.

Hurkacz won 2-6, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. The players were on serve in the fourth set when the match was suspended Monday night because of rain.

The versatile Hurkacz won 50 points at the net, including 10 when playing serve and volley. He became a first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, and his opponent Wednesday will be his idol, Roger Federer.

Meanwhile, Hubert Hurkacz became just the fourth Polish man to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Tuesday with a five-set win over Russian second seed Daniil Medvedev.

World number 18 Hurkacz triumphed 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match held over from Monday due to rain and will now face Roger Federer for a place in the semi-finals, AFP reported.

"For this sport, Roger is unbelievable, what he does, how he plays and the titles he has won throughout his career. He inspired so many people and it's going to be fun," said Hurkacz. The Pole has only met Federer once -- a straight sets loss at Indian Wells in the quarter-finals in 2019.