​London — Marta Kostyuk finds herself in a rare sweet spot as she moves toward the Wimbledon semifinals after a straightforward 6-3, 6-2 victory over 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday at the All England Club. In her on-court interview after the match, Kostyuk remarked, “Winning here wasn’t even on the plan today; I just wanted to go out, enjoy it.”
The 24-year-old has been thriving since the clay-court season began, posting an impressive 16-1 record and reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open. Yet that string of form did not necessarily predict her Wimbledon performance. Prior to the tournament, she had never advanced past the third round at Wimbledon, went 0-3 on grass last year, and endured a rough week of practice that left her asking her coach, Sandra Zaniewska, honestly whether her game suited grass at all. “She said, 100 percent,” Kostyuk recalled.
That glimmer of hope, communicated by her coach, was enough for Kostyuk to adopt a mindset of low expectations paired with a readiness to seize what came. The result has been a free-flowing, powerful display that has propelled her into her second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal. She now awaits either Linda Nosková or Elise Mertens in the next round.
Kostyuk’s blend of a no-pressure mindset and an all-court game anchored by potent groundstrokes makes her a formidable opponent for anyone. Her win over Paolini was notable for its clarity: Kostyuk dictated with her first serve, unleashed big weapons off that shot, and exploited Paolini’s occasional lapses in focus, punishing Paolini’s second serves. Paolini finished with eight winners to 25 unforced errors, while Kostyuk largely maintained her own composure and consistency.
For Kostyuk, this grass-court success appears to be as much about mental approach as physical prowess. “I don’t know,” she said during a press conference earlier in the week when asked what she did to adapt to grass. “I think I was just really trying to be kinder to myself and open to trying new things. In the first few days I felt desperate, like whatever I did on this surface would lead to failure. It was hard to handle, but I tried to enjoy it and give myself the best chance. It worked, I guess.”
Paolini, meanwhile, enjoyed Wimbledon’s best run in a year marked by upheaval. The 30-year-old had not secured back-to-back wins since the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March, but found a revival after dropping the first set 6-0 to American Robin Montgomery before bouncing back.
This piece originally appeared in The Athletic, highlighting Tennis and Women’s Tennis for 2026. The Athletic Media Company continues to deliver top coverage and insights for sports fans.