July 2018 | Page 10 of 14

By HOWARD FENDRICH

LONDON (AP) — Serena Williams came up with a comeback to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, then walked off Centre Court with her right index finger aloft.

Yes, no matter what the rankings or seedings say, she still looks as if she’s capable of playing like someone who’s No. 1.

Williams moved closer to her eighth title at the All England Club and 24th Grand Slam trophy overall — but first since missing more than a year while having a baby — by beating 52nd-ranked Camila Giorgi of Italy 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

“This is only my fourth tournament back, so I don’t feel pressure. I don’t feel I have to win this; I don’t feel I have to lose this,” Williams said. “I’m just here just to be here and to prove that I’m back. And I feel like I’m back. I still have a long way to go to be where I was.”

Tennis

Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic advance to Wimbledon quarterfinals

July 9, 2018

author: Adam Zagoria

(AP) — Not one top-10 seed has made the women’s quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Serena Williams will be there, though, after she moved a step closer to an eighth title at the All England Club.

Williams reached her 13th Wimbledon quarterfinal by beating Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina 6-4, 6-2 overnight, and never looked likely to join the parade of favourites who have been eliminated.

Serena is now 3 wins from her 24th career Slam. https://t.co/W8RHs0dHz0

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) July 9, 2018

No. 7 Karolina Pliskova became the last of the top-10 seeds to be knocked out, losing to Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.

Since seeds were introduced in the 1920s, it’s the first time none of the top 10 women have reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. It’s also a first for any Grand Slam tournament in the 50-year professional era.