Unseeded Rybarikova makes first Wimbledon semi-final

Published Jul 11, 2017

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LONDON - Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova became the lowest ranked woman to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for nine years as the world number 87 shocked 24th seed Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday.

In her first Grand Slam semi-final, Rybarikova faces former French Open champion Garbine Muguruza on Thursday.

Rybarikova is the lowest ranked woman to make the semi-finals of any Grand Slam since Angelique Kerber, then the world number 92, at the 2011 US Open.

The 28-year-old, who had lost in the first round in eight of her previous nine visits to Wimbledon, is the first Slovakian woman to make the last four at the All England Club.

Meanwhile, Karolina Pliskova has become the new world number one - despite tumbling out of Wimbledon in the second round and never having won a Grand Slam. 

The 25-year-old Czech will jump up from third place to the top of the post-Wimbledon rankings after world number two Simona Halep lost to Johanna Konta in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. 

Combined with current world number one Angelique Kerber falling in the fourth round, Pliskova's points for reaching round two are enough to see her scrape to the top of the world rankings. Pliskova becomes number one without ever having lifted one of the four majors in tennis.

AFP

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