When Marta Kostyuk and Linda Nosková walk onto Centre Court on Thursday, second in the order behind Coco Gauff and Karolína Muchová, the winner will reach a first Grand Slam final. Neither has been this far at a major final before, and the lower half of the Wimbledon women’s draw has quietly become the more intriguing of the two semifinals.
Kostyuk, the 12th seed, arrives as the form player on the WTA Tour. The 24-year-old Ukrainian has won 21 of her past 22 matches, the most of anyone on tour over that span, a run built on clay that produced titles in Rouen and Madrid and a first major semifinal at Roland Garros. She dismantled the 2024 Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals, winning 90 percent of her first-serve points and facing no break point.
Nosková, the ninth seed, brings the sharper grass credentials. The 21-year-old Czech won the Berlin title the week before Wimbledon and is 10-1 on the surface this season. Against Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals she held all 11 service games — the first time she had not been broken all tournament — and won 79 percent of her first-serve points.
The surface question. Kostyuk has said grass is the only surface she plays all year, and her streak was forged on clay, where movement and rally tolerance reward her game. Nosková’s first-strike tennis, big serve and willingness to come forward map more naturally onto a faster, lower-bouncing court. The one time the two met, Kostyuk won in straight sets — but that was in the Madrid quarterfinals on clay, conditions that flattered her more than SW19 will.
Beyond the final. Ranking position is also at stake. The two are separated by a single place in the live rankings, and the winner will finish inside the world’s top 10. Kostyuk would also become the first Ukrainian woman to reach a Wimbledon final, a step beyond the two semifinals Elina Svitolina reached.
