Wimbledon 2025: The 'unbelievable' comeback story of Belinda Bencic - ESPN

WIMBLEDON, England — Belinda Bencic never stopped smiling.

From the moment after she secured match point in the second tiebreak of the day to earn the 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) victory over No. 7 seed Mirra Andreeva, to the time she left the court moments later following her post-victory interview, the smile didn't fade from her face.

«It's crazy, it's unbelievable, it's a dream come true,» a beaming Bencic said as the enamored crowd looked on at Centre Court. «I tried not to think about it at the match point. I'm speechless. So happy. It's just my second semifinal of a Grand Slam overall, and the first one at Wimbledon. So yeah, just speechless, so happy.»

It's been an improbable fortnight for the unseeded Bencic, on the heels of an improbable season overall. Once ranked as high as No. 4 and the gold medalist in singles at the 2020 Olympic Games, Bencic announced she was pregnant in November 2023 and would be sidelined indefinitely. After giving birth to daughter Bella in April 2024, she returned to competition at the end of the year. While she initially played in mostly smaller, ITF-level events, she came back to the WTA Tour in January.

Bencic exceeded her own expectations early by reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open and winning the title at the 500-level Abu Dhabi Open in February. But she then had to withdraw from the French Open due to injury, and only played in one grass-court match before Wimbledon, so she wasn't exactly optimistic as play got underway at the All England Club.

Through five matches, though, Bencic has been nearly unstoppable. The 28-year-old has rattled off one impressive win after another. Next, she will play in just the second semifinal of her career, and first since 2019, on Thursday