Kirsten Flipkens, dubbed as the Cinderella of Wimbledon 2013, will look to enter her first ever Wimbledon final when she takes on Marion Bartoli in the semis Thursday.
Flipkens' rise in the tennis world over the last year or so is quite remarkable, considering the fact that she was diagnosed with life-threatening blood clots 15 months ago, which led to her dropping down to 262 in the rankings and not even being eligible to play in the qualifying rounds of Wimbledon last year.
"I think I still don't really realize what I've managed to go through and what I've achieved," Flipkens said after her quarterfinal win over former champions Petra Kvitova on Tuesday.
"I think last year, as everybody know already, I didn't get into the qualifying of Wimbledon. I was ranked 262, today I'm a semifinalist in a Grand Slam.
"It's a dream -- more than a dream -- coming true. There's no words.
"The love for the sport (kept me going). I think I've been through a lot of ups and downs throughout my career. I've had so many injuries. Even after the juniors. I was a world champion junior. The year after I had a really bad back injury. All doctors said my career would have been over normally.
"But, yeah, I'm just the kind of person that doesn't like to break, and I keep on fighting back every time. I don't regret my decision last year still fighting back."
Flipkens will taken on Bartoli, who was impressive against Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals and knows her way around big matches at Wimbledon, having reached the finals in 2007.
"I never played Marion, so I really have no idea," Flipkens added. "So, yeah, you know, that's something for tomorrow (Wednesday). I'm going to enjoy today from the victory, and tomorrow we will see.
"I never played her, as I said, so I don't really know what to expect.
"I also didn't really watch her match today or the last couple of days. I was just focusing on myself. I only know she has a two-handed forehand and backhand. That's about it."
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