The quarterfinals on Ladies Day at Wimbledon was filled with excitement with matches between Sharapova vs Vandeweghe, Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka, Garbiñe Muguruza vs Timea Bacsinszky and Agnieszka Radwanska vs Madison Keys.
Maria Sharapova’s fighting spirit overcomes Coco Vandeweghe
Maria Sharapova’s fighting spirit has kept her in the match versus American Coco Vandeweghe. And because of that Sharapova reached her first semi finale at Wimbledon since 2011. In a thrilling three set match she defeated the brave Coco Vandeweghe who fought valiantly but was ultimately brought down 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2.
There was some controversy at the press conference where Vandeweghe accused Sharapova of bad sportsmanship. According Vandeweghe, Sharapova kept moving whenever she started her serve. She told the Umpire but to no avail.
“She was moving around in the middle of my motion on my second serve,” Vandeweghe said. “[The umpire] said she didn’t believe she was doing it during the motion. I strongly disagreed. Toward the later 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.”
“What I experienced, what I felt from her moving around in between my serving motion was not, I don’t think, sportsmanlike, in my opinion,” Vandeweghe said. “I try to play as fair as I can. You know, when I felt like it wasn’t being reciprocated, that’s when I spoke with the umpire for her to deal with.”
Sharapova’s reaction was that she hadn’t a clue that this was going on during the match at all.
“I mean, it is what it is,” Sharapova said. “What she said, I’m not going to argue against her words.”
The Maria Sharapova post-match press conference
The Coco Vandeweghe post-match press conference
A first time for everything
Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza has reached the semi finals of Wimbledon for the first time in her career. The number 20 on the list of seeds ousted Swiss Timea Bacsinszky (15) in straight sets: 7-5, 6-3.
Muguruza has reached the quarterfinals of a Grandslam twice in her career. Both times at Roland Garros. It is the first time since 1997 that a Spaniard reaches the semi finals at Wimbledon. The last one to do so is Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario back in 1997.
Serena Williams pushed to the limit
Serena Williams reached the semi’s of Wimbledon for the ninth time in her career. But Williams had to go deep in order to defeat Belarussian Victoria Azarenka. Five times winner Williams won the match in three sets 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
A virulant eyeing Victoria Azarenka had a score to settle after the Roland Garros match after she got beat despite leading 6-3 and 4-2 at the time. Azarenka took the lead by taking the first set but the uncanny mental toughness of Serena Williams kicked in and after two hours and only one match point Serena took home a well fought victory.
Serena Williams on Maria Sharapova
Serena Williams on the tournament so far
Radwanska struggles but overcomes Keys
Agnieszka Radwanska reached the semi finals by overcoming American upcoming player Madison Keys. Radwanska, who played the Wimbledon finals in 2012, defeated the American in three sets 7-6, 3-6, 6-3. Radwanska failed to cash in on three occassions in the first set. At 6-5, she failed to take the set. And in the tie break she failed twice to take the set. The fourth one was hers however.
But Keys wasn’t going to give up and took the second set with 6-3. Keys managed to keep up for the first seven games until she got broken and Radwanska never gave away the match.
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