With a thorough two-set victory (6-3, 7-5) over a higher-seeded Petra Kvitova, four-time women's champion Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals on Tuesday in impressive fashion.
Williams, who has not won a Grand Slam title since taking the women's crown at Wimbledon in 2010, broke Kvitova early on in the first set and essentially took control of the match soon thereafter. Along with tallying 13 aces in the victory, Williams snapped Kvitova's 11-match winning streak on Wimbledon's grass, a mark that dates back to the Russian-born player's Wimbledon championship run from last summer.
Poised to reclaim her old throne atop women's tennis, Williams admitted that she upped her level of focus in Tuesday's showdown. "You can't play a defending Wimbledon champion or Grand Slam champion and not elevate your game," Williams told reporters. "I had to weed out the riffraff and just get serious."
Unfortunately for Williams, things won't get much easier if she plans to add another major title to her resume, as she will face No. 2 seed Victoria Azarenka for the right to play in the coveted championship match. Azarenka already made waves in the fourth round with how quickly she dispatched 14th seeded player Anna Ivanovic (6-1, 6-0), and will be looking to take home her second major of the year after already winning the Australian Open.
A full bracket with schedule information can also be found at Wimbledon's home page.
And for live scoring updates throughout the tournament, check out Sports Illustrated's scoreboard.
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