Spanish tennis player Garbine Muguruza celebrates after winning here Wimbledon quarterfinal match.
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Garbiñe Muguruza said she was proud to become the first Spanish woman to play in a Wimbledon semi-final since Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, after overcoming a strong challenge from Timea Bacsinszky on No1 Court.
Agnieszka Radwanska made her wealth of grasscourt experience count as she dispatched American hope Madison Keys 7-6(3) 3-6 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the third time in four years.
Serena Williams survived a scare to book a semi-final showdown with old rival Maria Sharapova as the world No. 1 battled back to defeat Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
“I knew it would be a tough match”.
Sharapova made it a remarkable 20 victories from 23 grand slam quarter-finals but was pushed all the way at Wimbledon on Tuesday by American Coco Vandeweghe before emerging a 6-3 6-7(3) 6-2 victor.
The five-time grand slam victor failed to serve out the match after leading a set and 5-3, but finally prevailed well over an hour later in the third set, claiming a victory despite 10 double-faults but breaking her opponent six times. “I’m used to like playing on smaller courts, especially previous year, when I was a qualifier in many tournaments”.
Three years ago Muguruza took an instant dislike to grass after losing her first match on the lush surface in Birmingham. I am so happy.
That “perfect player” found her comfort zone on Tuesday to outwit and out-hit Bacsinszky.
The 20th seed kept up the momentum in the second to reach her first career Grand Slam semi-final.
The second set was not a competitive as the first with the Swiss breaking her opponent’s serve once only to see Muguruza break back twice to take the second set in 37 minutes.
With her unusual, over-rotated grip, which sometimes leaves the right-hander holding her racket in her left, Bacsinszky sliced and chopped and a couple of times had Muguruza caught at the back of the court while the ball dropped in behind the net.
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Sharapova had struggled for consistency all day but put together a run of aggressive, accurate returns together to break again for a 4-2 lead and then landed a rare ace to finish off her next service game to make it 5-2.
