Wimbledon 2025, Day 9 Highlights: Of Crushing Exits & Quarter-Final Dreams

From Sabalenka’s great escape to Alcaraz’s utter dominance, here’s how Day 9 at Wimbledon delivered drama, defiance and history. <strong>Harsh Pareek</strong> analyses.

Carlos Alcaraz had a tense duel with Cameron Norrie, staging a statement win in his Wimbledon quarter final.

Writer-editor Harsh Pareek brings you all the courtside drama, flair and finesse from Wimbledon 2025, in #ServeAndVolley.

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WITH THE DUST STILL SETTLING on a chaotic round four, it was time for the first set of quarter-finals to get rolling at the grandest slam of them all. And owing to a record number of seeded players having already been knocked out, it was a day of potential firsts and nervy upsets.

Under clear skies and some beautiful sunshine, it was American Taylor Fritz who kicked off the day's proceedings against the Russian Karen Khachanov on Court 1. Fifth seed Fritz hasn't had the most straightforward of tournaments, almost falling in the first round to Italy's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (who broke the record for the fastest serve in Wimbledon’s history with 246 kmph ripper in that match), followed by another five- and four-setter in the second and third round, respectively. He had some reprieve in the last, after his opponent, Jordan Thompson, retired following an injury. Seventeenth seed Khachanov has battled through his own five setters in the opening rounds, but similarly had a relatively easy time with his last.

Fritz tore through the opening set 6-3, and while the second was a little more cagey, he managed to close it without much trouble at 6-4. Then the pendulum swung rather dramatically, with Khachanov coming out on top 6-1 in the third. Fritz had a dip and things didn't look quite so routine anymore. To add to the see-sawing spectacle was another malfunction by the newly introduced electronic line-calling system, received by boos around the court.

But Fritz dug in and put on a fight as he managed to capture the fourth set for the final score of 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4). The American, who has lost two quarter-finals here previously, made it to the semi-finals for the first time. "It's an amazing feeling," said Fritz in the post-match interview. "Having played the quarter-finals here twice and lost in five twice, I don't think I could have taken another one."

On the Centre Court, it was world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka's turn to take on Germany's Laura Siegemund, ranked 104. While the Belarusian is the one to beat on paper, it is 37-year-old Siegemund who's had a masterful run in the tournament so far, knocking out two seeded players, including sixth seed Madison Keys in the third round. Straight sets across the board.

And the German didn't waste a second to get on top of the draw. Armed with an old school game, finesse and nimbleness, Siegemund sliced, chipped, and gave a masterclass in drop shots to an increasingly frustrated Sabalenka, who ended up losing her first set of the tournament.

There were hints of the French Open final where just a few weeks back Sabalenka, on the backfoot against the American Coco Gauff, had a meltdown, losing the match in dramatic scenes. But some lessons were seemingly learned since, as she tried to keep the lid on her emotions and slowly carve her way back into the draw, winning the second round 6-2. It was far from over though, as Siegemund maintained her tactics and extraordinary accuracy in the third.

In a stunning display of skills and clash of styles, it was difficult to choose a winner as the play neared the three-hour mark, but Sabalenka, with more power behind her, managed to clinch it 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. "After the first set, I was looking at my box like, 'Guys, book the tickets, I think we're about to leave this beautiful city, country, place,’” said the three-time Grand Slam champion who's yet to win a Wimbledon title. Something she would hope to redress in the coming days.

Back on Court 1, and it was the young American, 13th-seeded Amanda Anisimova, up against a veteran of the game, Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. After a breezy start to the tournament, Anisimova had to contend with a couple of three-setters, while Pavlyuchenkova on her road to the quarters, had eliminated 31st-seed Ashlyn Krueger, Naomi Osaka and the last remaining Brit on the women's singles draw, Sonay Kartal, in the previous round.

It was Anisimova who came out with all guns blazing, taking the first set 6-1. It was difficult to see the Russian making her way back, but not unlike the Fritz-Khachanov match earlier in the day, there was an unexpected shift in momentum as Pavlyuchenkova mounted an astonishing fight with her back to the wall.

A somewhat stunned Anisimova — leading 5-2 at one point — had to maintain focus and find her best form as the game made it to a tie-break. Saving all five set points against her, the American finally made it over the line with 6-1, 7-6 (9), collapsing in relief.

It was a spectacular win for Anisimova, who had failed to qualify for Wimbledon last year following a break. Inviting her three-year-old nephew to court to celebrate, she said it was a "super special turnaround for me, considering where I was a year ago". She'll now meet Sabalenka in the semi-finals.

For the day's final match, it was the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz against Britain's last remaining singles hope, Cameron Norrie, on the Centre Court. While the Spaniard's game seems to be improving over the week, the unseeded Norrie had just been part of one of the matches of the tournament, the gruelling 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-7(5), 6-3 win against big-serving Chilean, Nicolás Jarry. In their previous three encounters, the Brit has come out on top twice, and Alcaraz acknowledged it, dubbing the encounter a "nightmare".

But in the end, it was an anticlimactic closing to the day. Norrie, who did his best to resist, did not stand a chance.

Alcaraz blazed past his opponent in a statement win that will keep Fritz, who now faces him in the semis, up at night. The match ended 6-2, 6-3, 6-3, with the world number one delivering his best performance of the tournament so far, and just in time for the business end of things.

Matches to watch today:

Iga Swiatek vs Liudmila Samsonova

Mirra Andreeva vs Belinda Bencic

Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton

Flavio Cobolli vs Novak Djokovic

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