Family fire Serena to topple champion Kvitova
In the most eagerly-anticipated clash of the tournament so far, four-time champion Williams turned on the style on her debut under the Centre Court roof, at times almost bullying Kvitova in a 6-3 7-5 win.
With a brutal serve as her platform — she sent down 13 aces and won 86% of her first-serve points — she was able to hit 27 winners in what was easily her outstanding performance of the tournament so far.
Williams credited words of wisdom from her nearest and dearest, as well as coach Patrick Mouratoglou, as being the catalyst.
“I had a good talk with my dad, he motivated me, and my sister as well,” she said.
“I had a talk with Patrick too. It was great. All three of those got me really motivated to do better and be the player that I know I can be.”
Williams now faces Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka who beat Austria’s Tamira Paszek 6-3 7-6 (7-4) late last night.
Angelique Kerber won the all-German battle with Maria Sharapova’s conqueror Sabine Lisicki to reach her first Wimbledon semi-final.
It was a rollercoaster battle full of twists and turns, and Kerber looked like she had blown her chance when she missed three match points in the second set and then trailed 5-3 in the decider.
But Lisicki faltered when serving for the match and eighth seed Kerber reeled off four games in-a-row to triumph 6-3 6-7 (9/7) 7-5 after two-and-a-half hours.
In the men’s singles, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s victory over Mardy Fish saw the flamboyant Frenchman complete the men’s quarter-final line-up following another rain-affected day.
The fifth seed started a set down after yesterday’s downpour but recovered to record a 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 6-4 success, despite two more lengthy rain delays.
Tsonga, a beaten semi-finalist last year, celebrated with his familiar dance and will face Philipp Kohlschreiber in the last eight after the 27th-seeded German beat American qualifier Brian Baker 6-1 7-6 (7/4) 6-3 on Court 12.
The 27-year-old Frenchman said: “He has never reached the semi-finals, so of course he will play hard. I expect to have a very, very tough match.
Britain’s Andy Murray will tackle Spaniard David Ferrer on Centre Court in the last eight after both men won through their fourth-round clashes. The match comes four weeks on from Murray losing at the same stage to Ferrer in the French Open.
Fourth seed Murray saw off Marin Cilic to reach the quarter-finals for a fifth successive year.
The pair had been forced off on Monday with Murray leading by a set, 3-1 and 40-love, and they endured more disruption yesterday before Murray clinched a 7-5 6-2 6-3 victory under leaden skies on Court One.
Seventh seed Ferrer ousted Juan Martin del Porto on Centre Court, going through 6-3 6-2 6-3 to set up his first appearance in the last eight at Wimbledon.
Florian Mayer finished off Frenchman Richard Gasquet to line-up a Court One quarter-final against top seed Novak Djokovic, who was a winner on Monday against fellow Serbian Victor Troicki.
Mayer claimed the first two sets before the Frenchman hit back in the third, but the German held on to win 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-2.
Six-time champion Roger Federer and first-time quarter-finalist Mikhail Youzhny open the play on Centre Court today at 1pm.
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