Wimbledon 2017: Thursday London Schedule and Bracket Predictions
Great Britain's Johanna Konta has the chance to make history on Thursday at Wimbledon when she takes on the legendary Venus Williams in the competition semi-final.
Konta emerged the victor from a bruising battle with Simona Halep in the quarters to make it this far and is the favourite for glory in the eyes of many. Still, even at 37, Williams is a dangerous player and an outstanding competitor.
In the second semi-final, 2015 runner-up Garbine Muguruza will be expected to progress, although she can't afford to take anything for granted against the unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova, who has upset plenty of illustrious names on her way to the last four.
Read on for the day's schedule and a closer look at what will be a pair of absorbing matches at SW19.
Thursday Preview
Here's a look at the schedule for Thursday, per the competition's official Twitter feed:
In beating Halep, Konta became the first British woman to make it to the semi-finals of Wimbledon since 1978. But there's no hiding the fact she wants to go even further.
After suffering a nasty fall ahead of the tournament, there were doubts as to what kind of condition Konta would be in at the All England Club. The sixth seed has answered those doubts emphatically and has dug deep on a couple of occasions to keep her hopes of victory alive.
As noted by broadcaster Richard Osman, the progress of Konta has captured the imagination of the British people:
"The Konta v Halep match peaked at 7.15m last night. That's higher than the Murray v Paire match, and higher than Nadal v Muller. #Wimbledon
— Richard Osman (@richardosman) July 12, 2017"
Her semi-final with Williams is set up perfectly; the home hope seeking her first Grand Slam win against a wily veteran with plenty under her belt already.
The 37-year-old is a five-time winner of Wimbledon, although her last title came in 2008. This year, she's looked as close to her best as she has done for many a year and showcased her experience in spades by nullifying the dynamic Jelena Ostapenko in the previous round.
Typically, the American is a player who brings her A-game to these crunch clashes, too. As noted by sports statistician Mohandas Menon, Williams hasn't sampled too many losses at Wimbledon at this stage:
But with the crowd on Konta's side, coupled with the incredible determination showcased by the sixth seed in the tournament so far, Williams is set to be on the end of a rare semi-final loss.
Having made it to the final two years ago, Muguruza will be desperate for another shot at this title. The Spaniard has surprised plenty with her run to the semi-finals, with a tournament seeding of 14th more befitting of her inconsistent form than her brilliant talent.
As noted by Christopher Clarey of the New York Times, there's been a clear will to win in Muguruza's play:
She's shown a little bit of everything at Wimbledon, too. Against top seed Angelique Kerber, she bounced back from one set down to win a thrilling contest before she breezed past Svetlana Kuznetsova with a swagger in the quarters.
On paper, at least, the 2016 French Open champion should be too strong for Rybarikova. Muguruza has more natural quality and a lot more experience at this high level.
Still, the Slovakian has continued to defy expectations with her performances. As noted by tennis journalist Tumaini Carayol, she's made incredible progress in 2017:
An unseeded player winning one of these Grand Slam events wouldn't be unprecedented either. As recently as the 2017 French Open, Ostapenko came from nowhere to stun the tennis world.
Still, the intensity and pressure that Muguruza will bring to Thursday's match will be nothing like Rybarikova has experienced at the competition so far. Expect the Spaniard to give herself an excellent chance of winning the second Grand Slam title of her career with a win.
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