Venus Williams was in action against unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova -- the winner would be their spot into the semi-finals. That is a place that the 36-year-old Williams, had not been in a long time. Despite winning five times at the All-England club, Venus had not been in the final four since 2009 -- that was also the last time she made the final here as well.
Shvedova was playing in her third Grand Slam quarter-final, and took Venus to a tiebreak in the opening set, which she lost, and gets into trouble in the second, as the eighth is able to fire a cross-court passing shot, while leading 3-1.
Williams would cruise from there, and when the Kazakh fires her return into the net, the 5-time champ is through to the semi-finals 7-6, 6-2, the first time she has been this far in seven years.
"Yeah, the road was six years. They go by fast thankfully. But I've been blessed, been really blessed, to have an opportunity to be here, have had an opportunity in the past to do this. I don't have any regrets about anything that's taken place in between. It's been a journey, but it's made me stronger," Venus Williams said.
Defending champ advances to Semis after 6-4, 6-4 win
World number one Serena Williams would face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and the Russian would put up a fight -- getting the backhand winner in the opening set.
LONDON, July 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Serena Williams of the United States celebrates during the women's singles quarterfinal with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia on Day 8 at The Championships Wimbledon 2016 in London, Britain on July 5, 2016. Serena Williams won 2-0. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
The defending champion, seeking an elusive 22nd grand slam, would be able to get a break -- and that allows her to hold serve and take the opener 6-4, after the Russian hits long.
Pavlyuchenkova, the 21st seed, would lay well, but Serena was just a little better, getting lucky with this stab volley at the net.
The world No.1 wraps up the match with an ace on her second match point. Williams joins her sister Venus in the semi-finals.
Aussie Open champ to face V. Williams next
Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber at the top of your screen was facing Simona Halep, the left-handed German takes this point with a backhand winner, and would grab the set 7-5.
The second set would need a tiebreak, and it would go the way of the German fourth seed, when the Romanian cannot keep this return in play. Kerber is into her first Wimbledon semi-final since 2012 after her 7-5, 7-6 win.
Russian advances to her first Grand Slam Semi-Final
Dominika Cibulkova at the top of your screen, faced the possibility of postponing her wedding Saturday if she beat Russian Elena Vesnina. The Slovakian takes this point, but she lost the opening set, and trails 4-1 in the second.
And after this service winner Vesnina prevails, so Cibulkova can go to her own weeding. The Russian wins 6-2, 6-2 and reaches her first Grand Slam semi-final.
