Venus sails into semis and climbs into top 10
Five-time champion becomes the most senior player to reach the semifinals since Martina Navratilova in 1994
London — Venus Williams became the oldest Wimbledon semifinalist for 23 years, as the five-time champion brushed aside French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, while Garbine Muguruza beat Svetlana Kuznetsova to make it back to the last four on Tuesday. Williams’ 73-minute masterclass on Centre Court clinched a 6-3 7-5 victory, making her the most senior player to reach the semifinals since Martina Navratilova in 1994. The US star, who reached the last of her eight Wimbledon finals in 2009, will face Britain’s Johanna Konta in the last four on Thursday. Konta beat Romania’s Simona Halep 6-7 (2/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-4 to become the first British women to reach the semifinals in 39 years. World No11 Williams, beaten in 2017’s Australian Open final, was knocked out in the 2016 semifinals and is chasing a first Major title since winning Wimbledon in 2008. Williams’ victory equalled sister Serena’s total of 86 main draw match victories at Wimbledon, the most among any active player. She will climb b...
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