Iga Swiatek reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova that went from a stroll to a bit of a struggle in the late stages Wednesday.

“Even though I’m in the middle of the tournament, I already got goosebumps after this win,” said Swiatek, who will face unseeded Belinda Bencic on Thursday for a spot in the final. “I’m super happy and super proud of myself.”

Bencic beat No. 7 Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2019 U.S. Open. The other women’s semifinal is No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against No. 13 Amanda Anisimova; they advanced with wins Tuesday.

“It doesn’t end here,” Bencic said.

There will be quite a showdown in the men’s semifinals Friday, when 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic takes on No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Djokovic ended up face-down in the grass at Centre Court on a late fall but that didn’t prevent him from beating No. 22 Flavio Cobolli 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 Wednesday. Sinner defeated No. 10 Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4 while showing barely any signs of the right elbow injury from a tumble during his previous match.

The other men’s matchup Friday is two-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 5 Taylor Fritz.

BAsketball

Holmgren, Thunder agree on 5-year extension

Chet Holmgren has agreed on a five-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million to remain with the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a person with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the signing has not yet been announced. ESPN, which first reported the deal, citing agent Bill Duffy, said it could eventually be worth $250 million because of various contract escalators.

It is the second major extension for the Thunder since winning the NBA title last month. The other went to NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and reigning scoring champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who got a four-year, $285 million extension.

Holmgren, the Minnesota native, will make $13.7 million this coming season, the final year of his rookie deal, before his salary jumps to about $41 million for 2026-27 and the start of the extension.

baseball

McKinstry, Paredes, Megill are All-Star fill-ins

Detroit Tigers utility man Zach McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has been dealing with a rib injury.

Meanwhile, Houston third baseman Isaac Paredes was picked Wednesday to replace the Cleveland Guardians’ José Ramírez, who had been the starting third baseman. The Guardians said Ramírez wanted “to focus on recovery and preparation for the second half of the season.”

Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill also was added to the NL All-Star team Wednesday. Megill is filling the roster spot of Milwaukee teammate Freddy Peralta, the scheduled starting pitcher for the Brewers game on Sunday.

MLB to use challenge system in All-Star Game

Major League Baseball plans to use its robot umpire technology for ball-strike challenges in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Atlanta, another step toward possible regular-season use next season.

Motorsports

Red Bull fires F1 team principal Horner

Red Bull abruptly fired longtime team principal Christian Horner on Wednesday, ending a 20-year stint that included eight Formula 1 drivers’ titles and recent turmoil that rocked the team on and off the track.

Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision in a statement Wednesday, but thanked Horner for his work and said he will “forever remain an important part of our team history.”

Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls will replace Horner in his role as team principal and chief executive of the Red Bull team.

Soccer

PSG routs Real Madrid to reach CWC final

Fabián Ruiz scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain built a three-goal lead in the first 24 minutes and routed Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday, advancing to the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.

Coming off its first European title, PSG plays for the championship on Sunday.

Briefly

NBA >> The Minnesota Timberwolves signed second-round draft pick Rocco Zikarsky to a two-way contract.

PWHL >> The Minnesota Frost signed first-round draft pick Kendall Cooper to a two-year contract.

Basketball >> Former University of Kansas and NBA basketball player Ben McLemore was sentenced to more than eight years in an Oregon state prison on Wednesday, a week after a jury found him guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman at a house party in October 2021.

College football >> Coloroado coach Deion Sanders declined to address his health at Big 12 football media days Wednesday, after extended absence during the summer.

MLB>> The New York Yankees have designated two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu for assignment. The Yankees owe LeMahieu about $22 million on the remainder of a six-year deal through 2026.

— From news reports