Sport
Wimbledon 2012: Serena Williams advances to quarterfinals
Serena Williams beats Yaroslava Shvedova. PHOTO/AP
Four-time champion Serena Williams overcame windy conditions and a gritty 65th-ranked opponent Monday to pull out another three-set victory and reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
The sixth-seeded American won the last three games of the final set to beat Kazakhstani wild card Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 in cool and gusty conditions on Court 2.
Top-seeded Maria Sharapova’s bid for a second consecutive Grand Slam title ended with a 6-4, 6-3 loss to No. 15 Sabine Lisicki.
Williams hopped in joy with both feet in the air after hitting a big forehand that forced an error by Shvedova on the first match point, ending a hard-hitting contest that lasted nearly two hours.
”I didn’t want to lose today and I thought, ‘Just stay relaxed,”’ Williams said. ”I knew the whole match I could play better.”
Williams will next face defending champion Petra Kvitova, who rallied from a set and a break down to beat former French Open winner Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in an error-filled match on Court 3.
It was the second straight tough three-set victory for Williams, who won 9-7 in the third to beat Zheng Jie in the previous round.
