Pliskova charges to first semi-final

Just two more victories and Karolina Pliskova, a first-time semi-finalist who is known for her body art as well as for the quality of her serving, might even consider getting the Wimbledon logo tattooed on to one of her limbs.

Or, given how her serve has been central to her progress through the draw, the Czech could find herself contemplating an image of the speed gun or her ace count, which is already up to 40 for The Championships.

Until this summer, Pliskova had never appeared in a quarter-final at the All England Club, but now she is through to the last four without dropping a set all Championships after defeating Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-2. You have to go all the way back to her opening round for the last time that Pliskova lost more than three games in a set. After five matches and 10 sets, she has conceded a total of just 28 games.

The sound of the heavy rain smacking against the closed roof of No.1 Court somehow added to the sense of occasion as Pliskova, a former World No.1 and US Open finalist, continued a run that suggests that this might just be the week when she lands her first Grand Slam title.

"I'm super happy to be through to my first Wimbledon semi-final," said Pliskova, coached by Sascha Bajin, who previously guided Japan's Naomi Osaka to two Grand Slam titles.

When you consider that Pliskova has won grass court titles in England before, in Eastbourne and Nottingham, it's curious that she has had such a modest record at Wimbledon until now. With her mighty serve, she has the game to prosper on the sport's original surface.

Pliskova, who is an inch over six feet tall before she even puts her shoes and socks on, has been serving at up to 116mph this Fortnight, which explains the number of aces. She has only dropped her serve three times all tournament, in part because she has been showing an ability to serve big when it matters. Although she faced break points against Golubic, she served her way back to safety every time.

And, as the match demonstrated, there is much more to Pliskova's grass court game than an imposing serve. She was quick across the turf when she needed to be, and played a couple of cute angled shots.

This summer, with Golubic's longest ever run at Wimbledon or any of the Grand Slams, Roger Federer wasn't the only Swiss with a one-handed backhand and an affection for Wimbledon's rye grass to reach the latter stages in the singles events.

Golubic, who had kissed the grass after defeating America's Madison Keys, had been attempting to become the first Swiss woman to make the semi-finals for 23 years, since Martina Hingis in 1998. But Golubic, who was once into kung fu, couldn't find a way past Pliskova.