Venus Williams remains on course for a Wimbledon final against sister Serena after she advanced to the last four thanks to a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Yaroslava Shvedova on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old's last semifinal at the All England Club came in 2009, a year which saw her go on to lose the final against her younger sibling for the third time. This is her first semifinal at any Grand Slam since the 2010 U.S. Open.
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The elder Williams has shown glimpses of her old form over the past 12 months, and that was evident again during Tuesday's meeting with Shvedova on Court No. 1.
The unseeded Kazakh, ranked 96th in the world, came into the contest as the clear underdog but she troubled Williams in the opening set before falling away in the second.
Williams — now the oldest Grand Slam semifinalist since 37-year-old Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994 — must overcome Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in the last four if she is to have any chance of another family reunion in the final on Centre Court.
Both players' serve came under extreme pressure in the opening games, but it was Williams who was the first to crack.
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A delicate Shvedova forehand set up the opportunity before Williams' netted backhand gave the Kazakh a 3-2 lead, but she could not consolidate as the eighth seed hit back immediately.
Williams then appeared to find her groove with a hold to love, but a set point went begging in the next game as her opponent produced two searing winners to keep it on serve.
Shvedova looked in a strong position at 5-2 up in the tiebreak, but a series of unforced errors saw Williams win five points in succession to take the set.
Neither player proved capable of holding at the start of the second as Williams took a 2-1 lead, consolidated with a service game to love, and better was to come as two stunning backhands put her up two breaks.
One match point went to waste, but she was not to be denied on the second as Shvedova found the net, with the watching Williams clan swiftly departing to Centre to watch Serena in action.