Wimbledon semifinals action as the US' Amanda Anisimova takes on world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka: Live updates

CNN

2 days ago

Update:
Date: 7 min ago
Title: Electronic line calling has had a difficult debut year at Wimbledon
Content:
An automated line-calling system has replaced human line judges at Wimbledon this year, and it's fair to say that the transition hasn't been entirely smooth.
Even before the first matches got underway, many felt that parting with line umpires – a mainstay of Wimbledon's 148-year history – would make the tournament poorer.
'At the end of the day, a tennis match is sport, and sport is about people,' Pauline Eyre, a former line judge who officiated at Wimbledon on 16 occasions, told CNN Sports.
'And I don't think technology necessarily makes everything better. I don't think it's improving the quality of the line calling because line calling was always excellent.'
During the tournament itself, there have been teething issues with the new technology. The most notable came during the fourth-round contest between Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Great Britain's Sonay Kartal, when the electronic line-calling system was turned off.
Wimbledon organizers later explained that a 'human error' had resulted in no call being made when Kartal hit a backhand long, but the incident ultimately cost Pavlyuchenkova the game with the point being replayed.
An apology was later made to the players and organizers removed the ability for Hawk-Eye operators to manually deactivate the ball tracking.
The technology also faltered during Tuesday's quarterfinal between American Taylor Fritz and Russian Karen Khachanov. With Fritz serving in the fourth set, the system called 'fault' mid-point, forcing umpire Louise Azemar-Engzell to intervene.
After making a phone call, Azemar-Engzell asked for the point to be replayed 'due to a malfunction.'
It's not been unusual to hear rogue calls from the automated system at matches over the course of the tournament. 'Out' and 'fault' calls have sometimes been heard at strange moments in the match, causing confusion among players and spectators.
Read more about Wimbledon's decision to replace line judges with electronic calling here:
Related article
For the first time in 148 years, Wimbledon has no line judges. Some say that 'takes away the humanity' from the tournament
Update:
Date: 8 min ago
Title: Where are the semifinals played?
Content:
There are 18 courts for players to compete on across the All England Lawn Tennis Club, but all semifinal and final matches at Wimbledon are played on the showpiece Centre Court.
The stadium is the jewel in Wimbledon's crown and can hold close to 15,000 spectators – making getting in for big matches as difficult as finding Willy Wonka's golden tickets.
There really isn't a bad view anywhere once you're inside, with fans able to get a close-up look at the players competing down on the green grass – which looks a little less pristine after so many hours of play across the near two weeks of competition.
The court also includes the Royal Box, which hosts the tournament's VIP guests – sometimes including royalty itself. It's located right behind the players at one end of the court, offering an uninterrupted look at the action.
In 2004, the court was fitted with a retractable roof which means play can continue come rain or shine. It also allows matches to continue long into the night.
For many, it's the pinnacle of tennis.
Update:
Date: 8 min ago
Title: What we have coming up on Wimbledon semifinal day
Content:
It's a glorious summer's day in London and we have a feast of tennis to look forward to today.
We have not one, but two women's semifinals lined up and CNN Sports will have everything you need to know here.
First match: Amanda Anisimova vs. Aryna Sabalenka – This match will see the last American woman standing face the current world No. 1. The players are due to take to Centre Court at 8:30 a.m. ET, with play due to start shortly after.
Second match: Iga Świątek vs. Belinda Bencic – The second semifinal will see five-time grand slam champion Świątek go up against Bencic, who only returned to competitive tennis last year after having a child. Play will start after the first semifinal has finished.