London, ENGLAND – Team Yonex stars Jasmine Paolini (ITA) and Donna Vekic (CRO) have both reached the semi-finals on the Wimbledon grass for the first time. They will play each other on Thursday, meaning that a Yonex athlete is guaranteed to reach Saturday’s final on Centre Court at the All England Club.

After Elena Rybakina (KAZ) lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish in 2022 and Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) last summer became the first unseeded women’s singles champion in Wimbledon’s history, it is possible that a Team Yonex star will win the title for a third year in a row in south-west London.

Paolini makes Italian tennis history

Paolini’s sublime summer continued under the closed roof of Centre Court when she dropped just three games to beat Emma Navarro (USA) 6-2, 6-1 in an all-Yonex showdown that lasted less than an hour. When The Championships began, Paolini had never even won a match on these lawns, but she has now put together a run of five victories, becoming the first Italian woman to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon.

Victory against Vekic would take Paolini, who only reached her first Grand Slam final on the clay of Roland-Garros last month, into another title match at the majors. Whether in Paris or London, Paolini has been bringing positive energy to her matches at the Grand Slams and, now that she is also a Wimbledon semi-finalist, has become an established player at the top of women’s tennis.

Vekic’s emotional victory

Vekic was emotional after going deeper into a Grand Slam than ever before. Unseeded on the lawns, the Croat fought back from a set down for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Lulu Sun, a qualifier from New Zealand who was also playing with a Yonex racquet. Playing in her third Grand Slam quarter-final, and her first on the Wimbledon lawns, Vekic kept her run going under the closed roof of No. 1 Court and so became the first Croatian woman this century to reach the semi-finals at the All England Club.

Vekic, who was on the court for just over two hours, is hoping to become the second successive unseeded champion at Wimbledon, along with the third in a row swinging a Yonex racquet on the grass. 

Jasmine Paolini (ITA) | VCORE 100 [LINK] / POLYTOUR PRO 120 [LINK]

Donna Vekic (CRO) | VCORE 100 [LINK] / POLYTOUR REV 125 [LINK]

Elena Rybakina (KAZ) | VCORE 100 [LINK] / POLYTOUR FIRE 125 [LINK] / ECLIPSION [LINK] / APPAREL [LINK]

Emma Navarro (USA) | VCORE 98 [LINK] / POLYTOUR REV 125 [LINK]