LONDON, July 13, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Ukraine's Elina Svitolina and Aryna

Sabalenka of Belarus attempt to reach the Wimbledon final on Thursday,
guaranteeing a championship showdown packed with political symbolism and
potentially awkward optics.

Svitolina, the feelgood story of the tournament, having only returned to the
sport from maternity leave three months ago, admits there are bigger, global
issues in play at the All England Club.

The 28-year-old has consistently highlighted the suffering at home in the
ongoing war, admitting that the tidal wave of support she receives "melts my
heart".

On Thursday, she faces fellow unseeded player Marketa Vondrousova of the
Czech Republic.

Victory would put her into Saturday's final where she will face world number
two and Australian Open champion Sabalenka should the powerful Belarusian
defeat Ons Jabeur in her semi-final.

Svitolina and her fellow Ukrainian players have opted not to shake hands with
Russian or Belarusian players in protest at the war. Belarus is a key ally of
Moscow.

The shaking of hands will also be an issue for the All England Club should
Sabalenka go on to win the title as the trophy is due to be presented by the
Princess of Wales.

"Can Ukraine star Elina Svitolina save Princess Kate from the awkward ordeal
of handing the Wimbledon trophy to a Belarusian?" pondered leading tabloid,
the Daily Mail.

Svitolina, ranked at 76, is destined for a return to the top 30 next week and
has knocked out four Grand Slam champions to make the semi-finals -- Venus
Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and world number one Iga Swiatek.

After her fourth-round clash with Azarenka she chose again not to shake the
Belarusian's hand.

- 'War made me stronger' -

"I think the war made me stronger. I don't take difficult situations like a
disaster. There are worse things in life," said Svitolina.

"Having a child, and the war, made me a different person. I look at the
things a bit differently."

The 42nd-ranked Vondrousova, back in the semi-finals of a major for the first
time since finishing runner-up at the 2019 French Open, has seen off four
seeded players to get to this stage.

In her quarter-final win over fourth-ranked Jessica Pegula, the 24-year-old
came from 4-1 down in the final set.

Sabalenka is into her fourth successive Grand Slam semi-final and second at
the All England Club after 2021.

Along with all Belarusian and Russian players, she was banned from the
tournament last year.

The 25-year-old said, however, that the banishment allowed her to reset her
career.

"Although I was very sad to miss the tournament, I was like, 'OK, this is
probably something I really needed'," said Sabalenka, who has a tournament-
leading 35 aces at Wimbledon this year and shares the fastest serve of 120mph
(193 km/h).

Since the 2022 All England Club ban, Sabalenka has made the semi-finals of
the US Open, won the Australian Open in January and then reached another
Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open in June.

Her victory at the Australian Open was one of three titles she has claimed in
2023. She has 40 match wins for the season.

If she makes the final, she will dethrone Swiatek as world number one.

Jabeur, 28, is in the semi-finals for a second successive year.

On Wednesday, she defeated Elena Rybakina to avenge her loss to the Kazakh in
last year's final, which she admits is still "too painful" to watch.

Tunisian trailblazer Jabeur has battled to make the last four -- coming from
a set down to beat former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu in the third round
and over-turning another deficit to see off Rybakina.