Sabalenka, Swiatek face tricky tests in quest to reach Wimbledon final

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LONDON - The Wimbledon womens singles semi-finals take centre stage at the All England Club on Thursday.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka plays American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova in a rematch of their French Open fourth-round match last month, with the Belarusian hoping to race away to another victory after a sluggish start to their rivalry.

Polands eighth seed Iga Swiatek will look to continue her adventure on the famous grasscourts when she meets fellow first-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Swiss Belinda Bencic.

SABALENKA, ANISIMOVA IN CLASH OF SIMILAR STYLES

After a torrid quarter-final against Laura Siegemund during which Sabalenka was taken into a bygone era and subjected to a barrage of chips, chops and drop shots, the top seed will welcome a meeting with fellow big-hitter Anisimova.

Sabalenkas four victories before the quarter-final have not exactly been straightforward, however, and a resurgent Anisimova could prove a big challenge if she can rediscover some of the form from the pairs early meetings.

Few on the tour can boast a superior head-to-head record against the worlds best player and Sabalenka admitted that the 23-year-old American may hold all the aces when they face off for the first time on grass, the sports fastest surface.

I definitely think that this surface suits her game really well, Sabalenka, who has lost five of her eight matches against Anisimova, told reporters.

Thats why shes playing so well. Shes serving well, hitting quite clean and heavy shots. We just played recently at the French Open. I had to work really hard to get the win. I mean, its going to be very aggressive tennis.

While Sabalenka was transforming herself into an unstoppable force on the