French Open semi-finalist Kostyuk beats Paolini 6-3, 6-2Czech No 9 seed Noskova defeats Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5A lot has been made of how open the women’s draw is – even before the defending champion, Iga Swiatek, and the world’s top two, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, fell in the first week. But sometimes it pays to be aware of the in-form players, whoever they are, and so it was no surprise to see Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova march into the semi-finals.Kostyuk, the Ukrainian 12th seed who reached the semi-finals at the French Open last month, crushed the 2024 runner-up, Jasmine Paolini, 6-3, 6-2 on Centre Court while the 21-year-old Noskova, seeded ninth, saw off Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-3, 7-5 to make it 10 wins out of 11 on grass this year. Continue reading...