Beaten Mertens says Linda Noskova can win Wimbledon
Czech Noskova broke once in each set to clinch a place in her first slam semi-final
Noskova vs. Mertens, Wimbledon 2026 | © Action Plus / PsNewz
Elise Mertens says Czech Linda Noskova can win Wimbledon after she was beaten in straight sets in their quarter-final on Centre Court on Wednesday.
The Belgian was broken twice by 21-year-old Noskova, the No 9 seed, who then showed no sign of nerves when she served out to love to clinch a 6-3, 7-5 victory.
“I mean, it’s only two matches away, right? It’s not like it’s first or second round,” Mertens said.
“I think anything is possible. She’s really feeling the ball. I think under pressure she’s still playing well, especially also the last game. I mean, serving to go into the semi-finals, kind of served really well. I think she is one of the contenders.”
Both players were appearing in their first Wimbledon quarter-final but two breaks was enough to give Noskova a place in the semis of a slam for the first time.
The way she served, hitting seven aces and 42 percent unreturnable serves, suggests she has a good chance of getting past Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and maybe taking the title.
She was really hitting the spots on every kind of direction
“She was serving really well,” Mertens said. “She was really hitting the spots on every kind of direction. It was difficult to kind of take the advantage in that. I gave it my all today. She was playing well. I think she played a great match.
“She served really well in the important points, too. I tried to keep myself into the match. I tried to keep believing. Made it difficult for her. She played well today. Was a really close one. At the end I think she really stepped up her game, especially on the last game.”
