As Ajla Tomljanovic was dashing away from former US Open finalist Leylah Fernadez in Birmingham on Friday, the Australian cast a nervous glance to the darkening sky.
On a day Jordan Thompson posted another big win at the Queen’s Club, Tomljanovic was racing the clock in a bid to reach her first WTA Tour semi-final since 2019.
The 31-year-old could see the rain clouds forming and was determined to keep her foot on the accelerator, which she did with distinction when defeating the Canadian 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Jordan Thompson through to semi finals | 00:59
“I looked around and it felt really dark,” she said.
“I always check this on my phone whenever I come to new place, to look at the sunrise or sunset, and I remember it (said it would) be like 9.30pm. But then I was trying to do the math as to (when we started) … and I did not want to ask the umpire what time it was, because I felt like that was just really going to take all the attention from the game.
“But I definitely thought there could be a chance that maybe we didn’t finish if it goes to a (tie) breaker, so I’m just glad I can sleep soundly tonight.”
Playing in her fourth event since undergoing surgery to remove uterine tumours in February, the signs of Tomljanovic’s increasing match fitness were evident.
Blasted off the court by Fernandez early, she found her range in the second set and by the third set was mixing deft touch with superb serving and groundstrokes from the baseline.
“I’m a little bit surprised, to be honest, because I don’t know what happened in that first set. I felt really outplayed. I was slow. I definitely thought this can’t go any worse for me,” she said.
“(I thought) let’s try to get more than one game on the board. And I felt like once I got that second game in the second set, I relaxed a bit and then I kind of zoned, for sure.”
Tomljanovic, who missed Wimbledon last year due to a knee injury but had reached the last eight in the two previous editions, plays Anastasia Potapova for a spot in the Birmingham final.
In London, Thompson’s hopes of securing a grand slam seeding for the first time in his career rest on his ability to beat the man who ousted Australia’s world No. 7 Alex de Minaur at the Queen’s Club this week.
The Sydneysider continued his breakout season when reaching the semi-finals of an ATP 500 tier event for the first time with a 6-4 6-3 win over world No. 12 Taylor Fritz at the Queen’s Club in London on Friday.
The 30-year-old, who won his first ATP Tour title in Mexico in February, has beaten former world No. 4 Holger Rune, five-time Queen’s Club champion Andy Murray and Fritz, who peaked at No. 5 last year, in a superb week in the prestigious lead-in event to Wimbledon.
The Davis Cup stalwart will vault to a live ranking of 31 if he manages to beat Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who upset de Minaur in three sets in the 1st Rd, in Saturday’s semi-final.
The pair have met once, with the Italian proving superior in a 2nd Rd match in Adelaide
earlier this year, but Thompson is at his best on grass, having reached five ATP Tour semi-finals on the surface.
Fortune favoured the Australian in the latter stages of an even opening set when he was able to seize a break of serve when Fritz slipped during an extended rally at 4-all. Thompson then clipped the net cord with a forehand passing shot on set point in the following game.
But the hardworking Aussie got on top of the American No. 1 in the second set, breaking the serve of Fritz twice as he posted a comprehensive victory.
Thompson’s best performance at Wimbledon came in 2021 when he reached the 3rd Rd before losing to Ilya Ivashka. He also pushed seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in a qualify second round encounter on centre court at the All England Club last year.
Rinky Hijikata’s great week at the Queen’s Club ended when he was edged in a tight quarterfinal by Seb Korda, who lost to de Minaur in a final in the Netherlands last week, 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-4.
Queenslander Kim Birrell was beating in three-sets by Canadian Rebecca Marino in a semi-final of an ITF 100 in Ilkley.