Women’s semifinal line-up emerged with utmost clarity on Tuesday after quarterfinal matches were concluded in 2015 Wimbledon. No.1 seed Serena Williams moved within two matches to her sixth Wimbledon title and a possible calendar Grand Slam. Serena defeated a vastly improved Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in a high quality match. In the other quarterfinal, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova took three sets and countered some powerful hitting from America’s world no. 47 Coco Vandeweghe. Sharapova looked in definite trouble against Vandeweghe after the eighth game of the second set before rallying in the third to enter her fifth Wimbledon semi-final. The Russian’s next opponent is none other than the great Serena Williams. In women’s third quarterfinal, Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska faced tough opposition from another American Madison Keys before using her craft in forging a three-set victory. The 26-year Pole will meet Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in the semifinal. The Spaniard had a relatively easier match with Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky in her straight sets victory. Earlier Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson finished their suspended fourth round match with the defending champion making it to the quarter-finals. Tuesday’s play was also delayed by 30 minutes because of rain but afterwards, it was no cakewalk for Djokovic. Once the play resumed, Anderson found his rhythm and put Djokovic under pressure with his towering service. The decider went on serves before the world no.1 found his touch to break Anderson and end the match.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams was pushed to her limits by Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian took the first set form the world no.1 with ease and began the second with high quality tennis. But the American found her game to force three break points against Azarenka in the fourth game. The Belarusian, however, fought hard to save her service. In the fifth game, it was Azarenka’s turn to break Serena but the American stood firm to deny Azarenka. In the sixth game, however, Serena obtained the vital break to lead 4-2. Then the top seed set up a winning run of seven straight games, which proved to be decisive as Serena entered the semifinal with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. She will meet Maria Sharapova in the semifinal on Thursday.
In her match with USA’s Coco Vandeweghe, Sharapova won the first set easily and did pretty well to open up a 5-3 lead in the second. Then all of sudden, the no.4 seed lost her rhythm. This allowed the American to come back with a roar as she pushed Sharapova and nullified all the advantage that the Russian had. Vandeweghe began hitting heavily and forced the tiebreak. Sharpova played poorly and lost the second set. However, the Russian staged a smart recovery in the third set and finished winner at 6-3, 6-7, 6-2. For a place in the final, Sharapova will have to get past Serena Williams, who have not lost her matches for quite a while. The two stars will meet each other for the 20th time but notably in their last 16 encounters, Sharapova was always the loser.
Agnieszka Radwanska
Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska defeated USA’s Madison Keys to make her third entry to the Wimbledon semi-finals. Radawanska won the first set on tiebreak but Keys bounced back in the second to equal set score and force the decider. The 26-year-old Pole then contrived her game with some deception and won the third set and the match 7-6, 3-6, 6-3. Radawanska will face Spain’s 20th seed Garbine Muguruza to make it to her second final at Wimbledon. Muguraza’s quarterfinal game was against Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky, whom she defeated 7-5 6-3.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic finally reached the quarter-finals, when he completed his suspended fourth round match with Kevin Anderson. On Monday night, bad light had stopped play with set scores level at 2-2. When the match resumed on Tuesday, Djokovic couldn’t find his rhythm and spent all his energy in avoiding breaks against the big-serving Kevin Anderson in the decider. The set went on serves until the score was 5-5 but Djokovic seized his chance, when Anderson committed two double-faults. The defending champion broke to lead 6-5 and served out for the match next for a 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 victory. For his semifinal berth Djokovic will take on Croatia’s Marin Cilic.
