Serena survives scare to stay in hunt for eighth title
LONDON: Serena Williams survived a major scare before sealing her 11th Wimbledon semi-final appearance as the seven-time champion hit back to beat Italy’s Camila Giorgi 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday. Williams was in danger of a stunning quarter-final exit after world number 52 Giorgi became the first player in this year’s tournament to take a set off the former world number one.
But Serena bludgeoned her way out of trouble over the final two sets to stay on course for an eighth All England Club triumph. It was Serena’s 100th career main draw victory on grass.
The 36-year-old will play German 13th seed Julia Goerges on Thursday for a place in Saturday’s final boasting a 3-0 career record. German 13th seed Goerges ended the giant-killing run of her close friend Kiki Bertens 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.Having reached the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of her career, Goerges went a step further with a comeback victory over her Dutch opponent.
With Angelique Kerber also having made the last four, it is the first time two German women will play in the Wimbledon semifinals since 1931. The last time two German women reached any Grand Slam semifinals was at the 1993 French Open, featuring Steffi Graf and Anke Huber.
Kerber converted her seventh match point to finally get past Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 7-5 and reach the semi-finals for the third time. The No. 11 Kerber was the highest women’s seed to reach the quarter-finals; it’s the first time since Wimbledon began seeding players in the 1920s that none of the top 10 made it to this round.
She will face No. 12 Jelena Ostapenko on Thursday for a berth in the final. Ostapenko defeated Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 6-4.
DEL POTRO ADVANCES
Juan Martin del Potro advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2013 by beating Gilles Simon 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (5). Del Potro failed to convert four match points at 5-4 in the fourth set, but maintained his composure to close out the contest.
FEDERER OFF CENTRE COURT AFTER 3 YEARS
Roger Federer has been pushed off Wimbledon’s Centre Court for the first time in three years. The eight-time champion is scheduled to play Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Kevin Anderson on No. 1 Court - his first match away from Wimbledon’s showcase venue since 2015.