Alcaraz, Sabalenka secure Wimbledon semifinal spots

LONDON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals after ending British hope Cameron Norrie's run with a dominant 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory on Tuesday.

The Spaniard delivered a masterclass performance, firing 13 aces and converting 5 of 11 break points to seal the win in just 99 minutes.

"I'm really happy. To play another Wimbledon semifinal is super special," said Alcaraz.

The second seed will next face Taylor Fritz of the United States, who reached his first-ever Wimbledon semifinal after defeating Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4).

Women's world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka battled into the semifinals with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Laura Siegemund.

The title favorite had to overcome a tough challenge from the 37-year-old German, twice recovering from a break down in the deciding set to secure victory.

Sabalenka will now face 13th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, who edged past Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9), for a place in the final.

Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai and El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo saw their mixed doubles campaign end in the semifinals, losing 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) to Joe Salisbury of Britain and Brazil's Luisa Stefani. Enditem