Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk made quick work of Italy's 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini on a sweltering Centre Court to speed into her first Wimbledon semi-final 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday.
The 12th seed was a woman in a hurry from the start as she took the opening set in 36 minutes, breaking Paolini to go 3-2 up and then again at 5-3.
The 24-year-old, appearing in the Wimbledon singles quarter-finals and on Centre Court for the first time, had lost her last two meetings with her 13th seeded opponent but used her powerful forehand to telling effect in an impressive victory.
She broke Paolini again to take a 3-1 lead in the second set, with the Italian not getting a sniff of a break point, and then held serve.
With Queen Camilla watching from the Royal Box, the crowd cheered for the Italian underdog but Kostyuk closed out remorselessly on 69 minutes with a second match point on her opponent's serve.
Kostyuk, who will now play ninth-seeded Czech Linda Noskova in the last four on the same court on Thursday, said it was all a dream come true.
"Winning here was not even in the plans today, I just wanted to go out, enjoy and put on a good show," she told the crowd after shaking Paolini's hand and then doing a pirouette on court to celebrate the win.
The semi-final will be the second of her career in a Grand Slam tournament after this year's French Open, where she lost to eventual winner Mirra Andreeva of Russia.
Noskova became the second Czech woman into this year's Wimbledon semi-finals, beating Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-3 7-5 in an under-the-radar matchup.
The ninth seed, who has been rising stealthily up the rankings this year, pummelled the experienced Mertens, 30, with powerful returns, pinpoint groundstrokes and the occasional surprising drop shot in baking lunchtime heat on Court One.
Mertens, six times a Grand Slam doubles champion and seeded 25th in the singles here, had to work hard for her service games, saving nine break points.
The 21-year-old Noskova broke her stubborn resistance in the eighth game of the first set and 11th of the second and served out the win with a big serve that the Belgian could only send wide, to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
Noskova joins compatriot Karolina Muchova in Thursday's semi-finals.
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