Wimbledon 2022 semi final live – Simona Halep versus Elena Rybakina

Rybakina is the youngest female player to reach the final in Wimbledon since Garbine Muguruza in 2015.

It took her just one hour and 15 minutes to put an in-form Halep to the sword.

Elena Rybakina clinches a place in her first Grand Slam final with an emphatic victory over 2019 champion Simona Halep.

The No.17 seed battles back from 40-15 down to clinch the win from deuce with a delightful return winner down the line.

She will now meet world No.2 Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s final in a real contrast of styles.

Hard to see a path back for Halep now, particularly the way Elena has served. The Romanian tries to up the ante with a forehand up the line but Rybakina continues to keep her at arm’s length with huge serving. A pair of aces do all the heavy-lifting and she’s now a game from securing a place in the final.

Brilliant hitting once again. Halep hangs tough in another brutal rally to force the error and stay in touch with a strong hold to love.

Elena resets and finds her serving mojo right on cue. The Kazakh slams down a pair of aces as she comfortably backs up the break with a game to 15.

Rybakina corks a crosscourt backhand to rectify another miss-timed unforced forehand error and threaten at 30-30. The No.17 seed dominates the ensuing rally, which is arguably the best of the match, to finish with a volley and claim break point.

Once again Halep looks wary of the power of her opponent’s return and twitches at the worst possible moment to cough up a second double fault of the game and hand the break advantage right back.

That is completely out of the blue! Rybakina reels off a quartet of unforced errors to gift-wrap the break back to love. That’s a truly bizarre drop-off from the Kazakh – but how costly will it be?

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‘I’m still here!’ is the message from that service game. It’s perhaps the most solid of Halep’s service games as she drags herself on to the board for the loss of one point.

The zip on Rybakina’s groundstrokes continues to wreak havoc with Simona’s timing. The former champion scraps and battles but after a classy wrong-footer puts her within reach at 40-30, Elena slams the door shut with a hefty serve.

It is just not a comfortable match-up for Simona on grass (despite the 2-0 H2H lead).

When Rybakina unleashes the power in a controlled manner there is usually only one outcome.

Indeed, Elena bombards the Romanian’s defences with some ferocious crosscourt forehands and earns a break point from deuce. Simona hustles to stave it off with a neat volley but then fires down two double faults in quick succession to serve up the game on a platter.

Elena cannons down a pair of aces and nails a corking forehand to clock up three set points. Halep battles hard to fend off two but is almost knocked off her feet trying to defend a crunching forehand on the third and she can only respond with a shot into the tramlines.

As a result, Rybakina deservedly takes the opening set after a very impressive 37 minutes on Centre Court.

It’s quite remarkable how Halep rises to the moment when everything looks bleak. At set point down she follows up a clever drop shot with a sweeping backhand up the line to stay alive. The Romanian then executes a clinical 1-2 punch before landing a timely first serve to pose the serve-out question.

5We all know Rybakina can really bring the power, but there’s elements of lovely finesse there too. Halep tries to lure her into the forecourt in low situations but the response is excellent as the No.17 seed glides a devilish slice up the line to polish off another solid hold.

That’s some hold.

Halep can feel the first set slipping away as she slaps a tame forehand into the net after Rybakina had successfully challenged an out call on a blistering crosscourt forehand.

It sees the 23-year-old clock up two break points, but she can’t quite convert as Halep hits clutch mode to somehow fend off both with elastic play under pressure. The Romanian hangs on from deuce as her opponent’s level dips and she remains in contention in this opening set.

Sorry! (Not sorry, snigger).

Halep is wrong-footed by a net cord and reaches out to stab a forehand just long. Rybakina raises her hand in acknowledgement of her fortune but is inwardly smiling as it secures a hold to 30.

Typical grit and determination from Halep. She’s going to need plenty of that if she’s to wrestle this one her way over the course of the next hour or two. Rybakina turns the screw, sending the Romanian galloping around the court on the stretch and making life uncomfortable at deuce.

This time the 2019 champion grinds it out, edging on to the board when her opponent sizzles a backhand an inch long.