Laura Siegemund has played the sport her own way for years. Now, at 37, she’s making her deepest push yet on the grass courts of Wimbledon. On Tuesday, she will try to reach the semifinals of a major on grass for the first time, but she will have a tough test against Aryna Sabalenka.
She booked her spot in the quarterfinals with a straight-sets win over 21-year-old Solana Sierra, the lucky loser whose unexpected run had caught attention early on. Siegemund was sharp in the 6-3, 6-2 victory, converting five of eight break points.
Grass hasn’t always come easily to her. Clay has long been her strongest surface, and she often found herself switching to grass without enough time to feel at ease. “I felt like I never have really had enough time to kind of get confidence from my grass game,” she told reporters, “and maybe the precision here and there and when to do what.”
“This time I had already had a few matches in Nottingham, and I felt that I had more matches, and I had more opportunity to get this confidence, and it’s showing, yeah,” she added.
Laura Siegemund is looking for her first Wimbledon semifinal (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Siegemund is a three-time Grand Slam champion in doubles
She’s always had the tools. A three-time Grand Slam champion, one women’s doubles title (2020 US Open), two in mixed (2016 US Open, 2024 French Open), Siegemund reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 4 in 2024 and has 14 doubles titles to her name on the WTA Tour.
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Her singles success includes two titles and a peak ranking of No. 27. She made the quarterfinals at the 2020 French Open and represented Germany at the 2016 Olympics and in Billie Jean King Cup play since 2017.
Laura Siegemund plays a backhand in Wimbledon (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Across a long career, Siegemund hasn’t shied from confrontation either. A double-bounce dispute with Kristina Mladenovic in Paris and a time-violation standoff with Coco Gauff at last year’s US Open put her at the center of some high-profile moments.
Could she upset Aryna Sabalenka?
Aryna Sabalenka awaits next. The Belarusian, a two-time Wimbledon semifinalist, has yet to drop a set through four rounds and holds a 2–0 record over Siegemund. Her run has included wins over Emma Raducanu and Elise Mertens.
The winner will move on to face either Amanda Anisimova or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semifinals. For Siegemund, it’s another chance to carry her unique style a step further—this time, on one of tennis’s biggest stages.
