Alternative outcomes are always possible in tennis, but a 2017 Aegon Classic final between Petra Kvitova and Garbine Muguruza looks extremely likely at this stage. The Czech booked a semi-final with wounded compatriot Lucie Safarova by recording a relatively comfortable 6-4 7-6 win over Kristina Mladenovic, while the Spaniard benefitted from Coco Vandeweghe’s retirement when their match was evenly poised at one set all and will play Ashleigh Barty.

Kvitova almost had to play a third set after failing to serve out the second when she was up 5-4. She said, “I didn't feel nervous, but maybe my body was a bit tired. I felt like the wind came stronger and I couldn't hold my serve and I wasn't able to hit it perfectly as before. So it was flying everywhere. And I made two double faults and it's difficult to play on grass when you have (the wind) on your mind.”

She continued, “Luckily I didn't think about (a third set). But then when I came off of the court and I spoke with my coaches, they were like, thank you that we didn't have to stay there for the third one. In the tiebreak, you never really know how everything is going. You can serve well, but then it's about a few returns and it could be a third set. I'm glad that didn’t happen and I saved some energy for tomorrow.”

Kvitova also said, “I had mixed emotions (afterward) because the match point was lucky. So I was happy, but on the other side, I was like, I'm sorry. Kiki has had great runs this year. She's very highly-ranked. For me, it's the second tournament of my comeback and it was a good match playing on the grass. So overall I'm very happy with my performance.”

Safarova and Kvitova know each other well but Safarova might struggle in tomorrow’s semi-final as she is suffering from a thigh injury. She won 6-7 6-3 7-6 against Daria Gavrilova today in a marathon match that lasted almost three hours. She has also lost all nine of her previous encounters with Kvitova. The former French Open finalist said, “It's amazing how she's coming back, and after what happened, how quickly she was able to return to play competition. She's been playing great on grass, and obviously, we've had a lot of matches against each other, and I'm still waiting for a victory. So far I’ve had a great round on grass courts and I'm enjoying it. Today was an unbelievable match and I hope I can be out there 100 percent tomorrow.”

Speaking about the match with Safarova, Kvitova said, “We practice a lot together. We know each other well from the Fed Cup. She's playing well on the grass. We know each other well on the court and sometimes the score looks easy (when we play), but it's not always like that and it's about a few points in the set. That's how I think it will be this time. And she played great today. It was an epic match. And it will be interesting tomorrow.”

In the other half of the draw, Muguruza will face Barty in the last four after Camila Giorgi withdrew when 2-5 down in the opening set of her match against the Australian. The Spaniard competed well in the first set against Vandeweghe but lost it 6-4. And she took advantage of the American’s reduced movement in the second set to take it 6-4. Then, Vandeweghe retired with the foot injury she had been suffering with since round one (as she explained in the press conference afterward). She will have an MRI scan tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury.

Muguruza is happy with how she is playing. She said, “I feel that I'm doing something good because I'm winning and I'm staying in the draw. So I'm happy because I came here early to prepare, and I trained and put the hours in. So, I'm happy and proud that what my team thought was going to be good for the tournament is working.”

She continued, “The more matches you play, the more you are ready. Everybody knows that. But honestly, it doesn't mean that you're going to go far in Wimbledon. For sure you feel like I put the hours in, I played the matches, I had the competition. I know these steps. I just want to keep playing this way because it's giving me good results.”