Tracy Austin, Martina Hingis, Belinda Bencic and Iga Swiatek are among the luminaries on the girls’ singles honour roll.

Two of the last three champions have been seeded No.1. This year, there are also some big junior names fighting it out for the title.

Australian Emerson Jones began at the top of the draw in 2025. She was hoping to do one better than last year when she was beaten by Renata Jamrichova, of Slovakia, in the final, but the No.1 seed - who made it through to the third round of Qualifying for the senior event - came up against an in-form Mia Pohankova in the quarter-finals.

The Slovakian is just 16 and made her Billie Jean King Cup debut this year. Pohankova broke her 17-year-old opponent five times, and hit three more winners than unforced errors to advance to the semi-finals with a 6-2, 6-2 win.

Pohankova will play Vendula Valdmannova for a place in the final, after the unseeded Czech won a competitive match on Court 18. In front of a a packed crowd, she beat the No.5 seed Teodora Kostovic, from Serbia, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

The upsets kept on coming. On Court 12, Julieta Pareja (main picture) took out British No.2 seed Hannah Klugman 6-4, 6-2. Pareja made her WTA Tour debut this year on the high-altitude clay courts of Bogota.

She started brightly against the Roland-Garros finalist. Klugman levelled at 4-4 from 1-4, but Pareja has formidable fight in her and only lost two more games in their second match of the year.

“We also played in Milan (Pareja won). She’s a great player,” Pareja said. “I started playing really well, I went up to 4-1, and then she came back. She was starting to play even better, and then I was just staying really focused because of the whole crowd supporting her, but it was a really good match.

“In the second, I just kept thinking point-by-point. Not trying to get ahead of myself – just start from zero. I was able to take time away by getting more of my first serves in.”

Pareja’s next opponent will be the last Briton standing. Mimi Xu, who made her main draw debut against Emma Raducanu, beat the reigning Roland-Garros champion Lilli Tagger 7-6(4), 6-1.

When the first set between Xu and Tagger went to a tie-break under the blazing sun, Xu hit a beautiful low backhand volley which helped her to mount a healthy lead. It was a mature shot for a 17-year-old.

Having been awarded a wild card, Xu said her experience on Centre Court was beneficial ahead of her run to the girls’ semi-finals, and says developing an all-round game is important.

“I lost to Emma, but I feel like I was in a competitive match - I know I've got that level in me and then also it's just such great preparation,” Xu said.

“None of the juniors, except for Hannah and Mika (Stojsavlevic), had played on these courts at the start of the week, so it was an advantage for me.

“That's where I see my game going. I'm just going to keep playing, even in tight moments, doing what I know that I can do, and doing it for development in the future.

“If I missed it (the backhand volley), I wouldn't have been annoyed with myself because I've come forward. That's how I want to play. So, I think I'm headed in the right direction.”

Four are left, one will be crowned champion – but no one is thinking of victory just yet.