LONDON: Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic admitted that she ‘thought she was going to die’ during her painful defeat to Jasmine Paolini. She was beaten 6-2, 4-6, 6-7 on Thursday in the longest women’s singles semi-final in the history of Wimbledon. Vekic was in serious pain dealing with an arm injury during the third set on Centre Court.
When Italian rival Paolini took a 6-5 lead, she burst into tears. Vekic was able to compose herself and force a tiebreak but couldn’t stop Jasmine Paolini from reaching her first Wimbledon final.
An emotional news conference followed in which Vekic disclosed why she broke down. “I mean, sometimes crying can help,” she said.
She further said, “My tears were not because I was… I mean, I don’t know. I was more crying because I had so much pain, I didn’t know how I could keep playing. I don’t know… I’m sorry.”
Jasmine Paolini, meanwhile, is making preparation for Saturday’s final against Barbora Krejcikova, who beat Elena Rybakina in three sets. The women’s singles event has been dominated by big-name exits like Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff – both losing their last-16 matches.
