Linda Noskova said the pressure of playing for a Wimbledon semi-final place brought out her best tennis, after eliminating Elise Mertens to achieve her best grand slam run.

Noskova, whose only previous quarter-final at a major saw her lose to qualifier Dayana Yastremska at the 2024 Australian Open, won 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 50 minutes.

The ninth seed timed her two breaks to perfection as she got the better of Mertens' serve in the penultimate game of each set, while the only break point she gave up throughout the entire contest – which was saved – came in the very first game. 

The 21-year-old is the youngest woman to reach her first grand slam semi-final at the All England Club since her fellow Czech player Petra Kvitova did so as a 20-year-old in 2010.

And she will now hope to become the third Czech champion in the last four editions of the women's singles, after Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2025.

In her on-court interview, Noskova admitted to feeling a few pre-match nerves but said that tension allowed her to find her best level.

"The feelings are incredible, like never before," Noskova said. "This is what I'm playing tennis for, for these matches, for these big stages and big courts. It's truly a special feeling.

"I was a little bit nervous before the match, I'm not going to lie. 

"Usually, when it's really, really important for me, and I'm putting a little bit of pressure on myself, that's when I play the best. 

"When I'm feeling a little nervous, that means that I care a lot. So I really enjoyed this match!"

Noskova will face 12th seed Marta Kostyuk for a spot in Saturday's final, with compatriot Karolina Muchova taking on Coco Gauff on the other side of the draw. 

Noskova makes good on promising grass-court run

Noskova's first grand slam quarter-final victory may be a breakthrough of sorts, but anyone who has paid attention to her grass-court form could have seen it coming.

Wednesday's victory was her 18th on grass since the start of 2025, the most of any player on the WTA Tour in that time. 

Mertens, interestingly, is joint-second on that list alongside Americans Amanda Anisimova and Emma Navarro (15 each), so this was a real test of Noskova's mettle. 

With Noskova joining Kostyuk, Muchova and Gauff in the last four, the women's singles semi-finals at Wimbledon will feature four players from the top 15 of the WTA Rankings for the first time since 2012. 

On that occasion, Serena Williams won the trophy, having been joined in the semi-finals by Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber.