It's perhaps all too easy to call Elina Svitolina's journey to the Wimbledon 2023 semi-finals a fairytale. For in many ways that feat – requiring courage, hard work and sheer determination from the wild card competitor – is even more than that.

But certainly there's a type of magic to Svitolina's astonishing progress at The Championships.

A year ago, she was absent from The Championships as she prepared for the arrival of her baby daughter, Skai, who was born in October. Svitolina’s comeback to the court began only earlier this year.

With a 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory over world No.1 Iga Swiatek, the world No.76 from Ukraine progressed to a second semi-final at The Championships, matching her achievement from 2019. She’ll contest the third Grand Slam semi-final of her career overall, after reaching the final four of the US Open, also in 2019.

“I'm really, really happy that I got this chance to play here again,” an elated Svitolina said after her two hour, 51 minute win. “And you know, playing this great match in a great atmosphere, it was really, really [an] unbelievable feeling for me.”

The win over Swiatek was Svitolina’s seventh over a world No.1 and among several notable feats in SW19.

Four of her five victories so far this Fortnight have been over Grand Slam champions, Swiatek adding to a list that includes Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka. There was also a three-set battle she survived against Elise Mertens in the second round.

At 22, Swiatek was the youngest of the ladies’ quarter-finalists but also the most accomplished, after securing her third Roland-Garros title, and fourth Grand Slam overall, last month. She was determined to assert that authority from the outset, gaining an opening game service break and consolidating for a 2-0 lead.

Svitolina, contesting her ninth main draw campaign at The Championships, recovered the break in the fourth game. While she couldn’t consolidate, an error-prone Swiatek was feeling the pressure. Serving for the set at 5-4, the No.1 seed dissolved in a flurry of errors and a double fault. Svitolina won three straight games to seize the 57-minute first set.

The second set followed a similar course, Svitolina surrendering the first break before levelling for 3-3. When it progressed to a tie-break, the wild card was more assertive, while errors crept in for the Pole. But from 1-4 down, Swiatek staged a recovery and levelled the match on her second set point.

And still Svitolina kept fighting, gaining another break for a 2-1 lead in the third set. When she added another, the crowd roared their approval. Confidence was surging as Svitolina fired consecutive aces to consolidate and gain a 5-1 lead. Two games on, she sealed a heart-warming victory.

“It was not easy today to play against Iga, obviously, she's world No.1, she's always fighting,” Svitolina said. “But you know, today was an unbelievable match and I'm really happy I could win this one.”

With a warm embrace shared post-match, an emotional Svitolina also acknowledged the support that Swiatek had provided to the people of Ukraine.

“Iga is not only a great champion, she's also an unbelievable person. She was one of the first ones that really helped Ukrainian people,” Svitolina said. “It's not easy to play against someone that you share a lot of good moments with.”

While Marketa Vondrousova is waiting in the semi-finals, Svitolina will first take time to enjoy her milestone victory and – and as she said in her on-court interview –  perhaps even celebrate with a beer.

“At the beginning of the tournament, if someone would tell me that I would be in the semi-final and beating the world No.1, I would just say that they are crazy,” she beamed.

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