China's Zhang Shuai and El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo gave fans a thrilling showdown at the All England Club but fell in straight sets to Britain's Joe Salisbury and Brazil's Luisa Stefani in the mixed doubles semifinals. It marked Zhang's second mixed doubles semifinal appearance at Wimbledon.
The opening set went to a tiebreak, where Zhang and Arevalo held the early edge before Salisbury's comeback leveled the frame. In the second set, a string of three consecutive points shifted momentum definitively, sending Salisbury and Stefani through to the final.
For Zhang, this latest semifinal run was a testament to her versatility on grass. She reached the third round in women's doubles and progressed from qualifying to the singles main draw, while her mixed partnership with Arevalo mirrored their success at the French Open, where they also reached the last four.
Reflecting on the partnership's journey, Zhang said, "This Wimbledon journey is really perfect. I played the first round match in the singles after qualifications, and advanced to the third round in the women's doubles. Our mixed doubles team reached the semi-finals following the French Open. We are very happy with the result and for me, I don't have any regrets, saying goodbye to the court. We have tried our best and this Wimbledon competition has been wonderful."
Up next for Salisbury and Stefani is a title clash against the Czech-Dutch duo Katerina Siniakova and Sem Verbeek. As the grass-court season peaks, the final promises another high-stakes encounter in front of a global audience.
Reference(s):
Zhang Shuai & Marcelo Arevalo suffer straight-set loss in semifinals
cgtn.com
