By

BBC Sport tennis news reporter at Wimbledon

Coco Gauff, by her own admission, has never had the "best relationship" with grass courts.

Marta Kostyuk, another Wimbledon semi-finalist, called her relationship with the surface "complicated".

Czech pair Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova - the respective opponents of American two-time major champion Gauff and Ukraine's Kostyuk in Thursday's last-four matches - have also encountered problems.

But everything has clicked into place for the SW19 semi-finalists this fortnight, meaning a first-time Wimbledon women's champion is guaranteed on Saturday.

"Coco is the only one who has won a major - but I'm not committing to saying she's the favourite," said American former world number one Tracy Austin.

"It will interesting to see how all four manage this with so much on the line."

Gauff learns not to play 'spectacularly'

Gauff, 22, has won Grand Slam titles on the US Open hard courts in 2023 and the French Open clay in 2025 - but has never found the same level of confidence on grass.

Her career breakthrough famously came at Wimbledon in 2019 when, as a 15-year-old, she came through qualifying and beat one of her idols Venus Williams on her way to the fourth round.

But until this year, the American had not won a match on a grass court for two years.

Gauff is an exceptional athlete who is able to move quickly around the court, but her footwork is not necessarily fluid when setting up shots from the baseline.

Her serve has often been fragile, leading to numerous double faults, and her forehand has also been liable to falter in crucial moments.

Last year she hired biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, who helped Aryna Sabalenka overcome her serving issues before winning major titles, on the eve of the US Open to fix the issues.

"I have really honed in on my game and realised I don't have to play a spectacular point every time to win," said Gauff.

"I think it [the breakthrough] is just trusting myself. My groundstrokes are good enough to be with anyone on this surface."

Fit-again Muchova 'selling' her game

Muchova, 29, is also a first-time semi-finalist at the All England Club, having not won a single match here since 2021.

Over the past six seasons, Muchova has reached the semi-finals at the other three majors but had suffered four successive first-round exits at Wimbledon.

Muchova, known for her creativity and variety, has the game to excel on a surface that rewards her craft.

The key issue has been staying fit.

A wrist injury sidelined her for 10 months last season - and she was once told by a doctor to stop playing tennis because of the pressure on her body.

"I'm appreciating more that I'm here, I can play, I don't have these big issues that I had in the past," said Muchova.

"I'm also happy that I now am selling my game and I can use it."

Kostyuk takes confidence from 'honest' chat

Kostyuk was one of the leading players in the clay-court swing, claiming two successive titles before reaching the French Open semi-finals.

The 24-year-old did not play a tournament before Wimbledon, instead returning home to Ukraine and having a holiday in Greece.

While she said she was optimistic of transferring her clay form to the grass, she had also not won on the surface for two years going into this year's championships.

"I feel like a lot of years that I played here, I played horrendous," Kostyuk said.

"I could not find my tennis on this surface, on any tournament. It was a really complicated relationship for me."

Kostyuk still was not convinced when she arrived in London almost three weeks ago.

Losing practice sets to 44-year-old Serena Williams and Jessica Pegula did not swell her confidence, but the words of coach Sandra Zaniewska did.

"I turned to Sandra and said: 'Can you please tell me, honestly, right now, if you think that grass suits my game?' She said: '100%'," Kostyuk said.

"That gave me something to hold onto."

Noskova feeling 'comfy' after grass success

Noskova has long been seen as a future star who could challenge for Grand Slam titles.

She was a highly-rated junior who became the youngest player inside the top 100 in 2022.

A run to the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2024 underlined her talent, but consistent runs at the majors have been rare.

"She's only 21 but she has gone under the radar - that's because she hasn't deep in majors," Austin said.

"Her record is a bit streaky but I think we're seeing that consistency now.

"A lot of that is just growing up."

Noskova did reach the fourth round at Wimbledon last year - and set herself up for another tilt this year by winning the Berlin title.

"I feel like I started to feel comfortable on grass last year," she said.

"It was just me looking forward to the next year on the grass season.

"It's good that I'm looking forward for something. Then you feel comfy on court."

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