Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - In a battle of the last two Wimbledon
champions, four-time titlist Serena Williams took out defending champ Petra
Kvitova to reach the semifinals at The Championships.
The sixth-seeded Williams doused the No. 4 seed Kvitova in 6-3, 7-5 fashion
under the roof on Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. It was
raining on the outside courts while Williams and Kvitova dueled in their high-
quality quarterfinal.
Williams bounced the big Czech in 84 minutes behind by some brilliant serving.
The former world No. 1 star hammered 13 aces, avoided any double faults, and
allowed only one break-point chance, which Kvitova was unable to convert on
Day 8.
A determined Williams won the first set easily and got the key break she
needed in the second to grab a 6-5 lead when the lefthanded Kvitova netted a
forehand. In the next game, or the final game of the match, Williams converted
on her first match point by unleashing an unreturnable serve.
Williams, who had to escape a pair of three-set matches in her previous two
outings, was asked if she stepped up her game today.
"Yeah, I had to today playing the defending champ," she said.
Williams' final-four opponent will be second-seeded Australian Open champion
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus or unseeded Austrian slugger Tamira Paszek.
The 30-year-old Williams owns 13 majors titles, including four in this London
suburb, where she's also a two-time runner-up. The powerful American will
appear in her eighth Wimbledon semifinal (6-1) on Thursday.
The Sports Network