Serena survives scare, Rafa returns to WIMBLEDON QUARTER-FINALS FOR 1ST TIME IN 7 YRS

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.

“I knew after the first set, ‘all right, let’s go three sets’. I’ll just keep fighting,” Williams said.

Rafael Nadal defeated Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to to book a place in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time since 2011 when he went on to the final.

The two-time Wimbledon champion was untouchable on serve against Vesely in the first two sets and conceded service only once, in the sixth game of the third set on Monday, reports Efe.

Nadal, who has yet to drop a set in the 2018 edition, will play either Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina or Gilles Simon of France in the last eight.