Elena Rybakina and Simona Halep meet in the semifinal of the 2022 tennis Wimbledon.Elena Rybakina is coming off a 3 sets win over Ajla Tomljanovic that took 27 games to decide. In the victory, Rybakina won 76 percent of her first serve points and 52 percent of her second serve points.
Rybakina won 67 percent of her total service points and converted on 5 of her 9 break points. Rybakina got 62 percent of her first serves in play and hit 15 aces. Rybakina dominated after dropping the first set, and she’s now hit a combined 21 aces in her last 2 matches. Rybakina looks to make her first ever grand slam final and her ninth final appearance overall. Rybakina has won 6 of her last 8 matches on grass court.
Simona Halep is coming off a straight set win over Amanda Anisimova that took 18 games to decide. In the victory, Halep won 63 percent of her first serve points and 77 percent of her second serve points. Halep won 69 percent of her total service points and converted on 4 of her 6 break points. Halep got 59 percent of her first serves in play and saved 7 of her 8 break points. Halep has yet to drop a set this tournament, and she’s won each of her last 8 matches overall. Halep looks to make her sixth career grand slam final and first since the 2019 Wimbledon.
Halep has a chance to make her second career Wimbledon final appearance and her 42nd final appearance overall. Halep has won 8 straight matches on grass court.Halep has won 2 of the 3 matches against Rybakina, which includes winning the most recent match in the 2021 US Open. Rybakina’s lone win over Halep came in 2019 Wuhan, a match where Halep retired in the first set. The last 2 meetings went the distance and this will be their first clash on grass.
Rybakina has a chance to win this match if she keeps piling up the free points, and she’s been competitive against Halep in the past. However, experience is big for me as we get to the business end of grand slam play, and Rybakina just doesn’t have it. Halep has been there done that, especially at Wimbledon, and she’s been playing her best tennis of the year even before this tournament. As I’ve said before, Halep should probably be the favorite to win this tournament given her experience and current form.
