- Italian wins 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) to reach Saturday’s final
- Match was longest-ever women’s semi-final at SW19
It was long, tearful and overflowing with drama, above and below the main narrative, and there could be no denying the joy of the happiest little Italian of them all, Jasmine Paolini, at the end of the longest women’s semi-final in the history of Wimbledon.
Her smile and exuberance carried the love of the crowd, which was tough on Donna Vekic, emotional on an entirely different plane, battling anxiety, self-doubt and a history of lost years when once there might have been unfettered glory.