At 6ft 2in fourth-seed Maria is one inch taller than American Coco, who I marked out the other day as a dark horse.
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Unlike Serena, the 20-year-old Keys and 23-year-old Vandeweghe will both be underdogs in the next round.
Elis has traveled around the world with Vandeweghe to all three Grand Slam events this year.
The Russian hit 10 double faults and dropped her first set of the tournament to an inspired performance from the unseeded American Coco Vandeweghe but as she so often does, Sharapova found a way. Oh, and her grandmother was Miss America in 1952.
Vandeweghe had never been beyond the third round of a Grand Slam before this year’s Wimbledon.
Vandeweghe complained to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore about Sharapova’s antics, but did not think any action was taken.
This year she lost early in Eastbourne, trounced in fact by Belinda Bencic, 6-2 6-2.
Before she can think about extending that dominant run against Sharapova, Williams – chasing a 21st major title and potential calendar Grand Slam – must see off Azarenka. “But I quite like that match-up”.
Sharapova was January’s Aussie runner-up to her fellow career Grand Slam victor Serena. Be able to tell my future children that mummy won Wimbledon.
Andy Murray will be first up on Centre Court on Wednesday in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He will next face Croatia’s Marin Cilic, a player he has beaten in all 12 of their previous matches.
Maria had to do it the hard way, but now waiting in the semi-final for her is either Serena Williams or Victoria Azarenka, two of the toughest tests in tennis.
Williams won the Australian Open and the French Open this year.
The fourth round Ladies’ draw at Wimbledon this evening begins when Coco Vandeweghe meets with sixth seed for a spot in the quarter-finals. The first-week departure of No. 2 and No. 3 seeds Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep and Safarova’s exit guaranteed a complete makeover of the final eight.
“I’m still fighting!” she said.
In her last three appearances, Sharapova lost in the fourth round in 2012 and ’14, and in the second round in 2013.
Garbine Muguruza has made it to the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.
Anderson had taken the first two sets on tie-breaks, setting up the possibility of a major upset, before improvingDjokovic battled back to make the scoreline 6-7 (6/8) 6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-4 0-0.
“Towards the latter end of the second set, I said if she has a problem speaking to Maria, if she’s too scared to do it, I had no problem speaking to her”.
Sharapova served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but couldn’t close it out.
Novak Djokovic has done it. Muguruza, who earned a straight-sets win over Timea Bacsinszky in the quarters, has won their last two.
Gasquet leads 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (7) on Court 2.
The tarps are off and players are back on court at Wimbledon.
Tuesday’s forecast: Chance of rain.
Sharapova owns a 19-3 career record in Grand Slam quarterfinals with all three of those losses come at Roland Garros.
A number of top European golfers are due in the Royal Box on Monday. They are to finish the match Tuesday on Court 1.
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“It was not sportsman like, in my opinion”, Vandeweghe said.
