The Latest: Mektic, Pavic reach Wimbledon doubles final
Jul 7, 2021, 5:13 PM | Updated: Jul 8, 2021, 11:06 am
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The Latest on Wimbledon (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
Top-seeded Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic reached their 10th doubles final of the season by beating Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury at Wimbledon.
The Croatian duo won 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5) to set up a final against former U.S. Open runners-up Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina.
Mektic and Pavic have won seven titles on tour this season but are looking for their first at a Grand Slam. They had to come from two sets down to beat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the quarterfinals.
Granollers and Zeballos beat Simone Bolelli of Italy and Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the other semifinal.
Granollers and Zeballos beat Mektic and Pavic in the Madrid Open final in May.
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5:25 p.m.
Eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova reached her second Grand Slam final after rallying to beat No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets at Wimbledon.
In a matchup of two big servers playing in their first Wimbledon semifinal, Pliskova won 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
Sabalenka saved all eight break points she faced in the first set — including four at 5-5 — and then converted her first when Pliskova double-faulted on set point.
But Pliskova finally broke for a 3-2 lead in the second set and again in the opening game of the third to take control.
She will face top-ranked Ash Barty in the final on Saturday.
Pliskova had not dropped a set in the tournament going into the match. She was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2016.
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4:55 p.m.
The Wimbledon semifinal between second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and No. 8 Karolina Pliskova is going to a third set.
Sabalenka won the first set 7-5 and Pliskova took the second 6-4 on Centre Court.
The winner will play top-ranked Ash Barty on Saturday.
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3:05 p.m.
Top-ranked Ash Barty has reached her first Wimbledon final by beating Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Kerber served for the second set at 5-3 but was broken at love on Centre Court.
Barty then took a 6-0 lead in the tiebreaker and converted her fourth match point when Kerber netted a backhand.
Kerber won Wimbledon in 2018 and was runner-up in 2016.
Aryna Sabalenka was playing Karolina Pliskova in the second semifinal.
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1 p.m.
Angelique Kerber will try to reach her third Wimbledon final when she takes on top-ranked Ash Barty on Centre Court.
Kerber won Wimbledon in 2018 and was runner-up in 2016.
Barty is trying to reach the final at the All England Club for the first time.
The other semifinal pits No. 2-seeded Aryna Sabalenka against No. 8 Karolina Pliskova. Sabalenka is playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, while Pliskova was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2016.
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