Just over a week remains until the opening day of Wimbledon, as four players will battle for a warm-up tournament trophy at the 2026 Lexus Nottingham Open. LWOT has the predictions for the semifinal matches scheduled for Saturday. Who will advance to the championship showdown?
WTA Nottingham Semifinal Predictions
Karolina Pliskova vs Marie Bouzkova
Head-to-head: Pliskova 2-1
Pliskova has only lost one match at this tournament, in 2024. She was high on confidence in a quarterfinal win over Talia Gibson, her fifth win on grass this season, as she’s looking for her first WTA final appearance in two years. Bouzkova performed well in her own quarterfinal on Friday; she cruised past the grass-court specialist Tatjana Maria, producing a bagel in the second set.
All three of the pair’s meetings have ended in straight sets, but I see this going the distance. Pliskova has an extra ounce of energy on her serve, while Bouzkova will have to extend the rallies against an offensive opponent. Pliskova’s record at this tournament is ultimately hard to overlook, as both players are otherwise capable of producing strong tennis late in tournaments. Bouzkova, meanwhile, has not dropped a set all week.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Emma Navarro vs Viktorija Golubic
Head-to-head: Navarro 1-0
Golubic will appear in her first WTA semifinal since last October, as her ranking is guaranteed to climb back into the Top 70 after this event. After upsetting No. 5 seed Ann Li on Friday, the 33-year-old will have to face another strong counterpuncher and mover on Tour. Navarro has turned the corner after a rough start to 2026, but the American is still vulnerable to patches of inconsistency at times. She only faced one break point in her quarterfinal win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, while hitting four aces along the way.
Golubic has the weaker serve, something that Navarro will have to exploit. Neither player fears the grass courts, but Navarro’s stronger game and renewed resilience might get her over the line. Golubic has notably played four three-set matches as a qualifier this week.
Prediction: Navarro in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
