Serena downs Venus as Vandeweghe sinks Safarova for Wimbledon quarters

Before play got started at Wimbledon on Tuesday, the All England Club took a moment to remember the victims of the 2005 London bombings on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

– Venus could have been leading their overall head-to-head, 13-12 instead of trailing 14-11.

Wimbledon, England (CNN)We should have known Serena Williams’ routine, straight-sets win over older sister Venus at Wimbledon was an anomaly for tennis’ leading woman. “She played really well”.

Anderson won their first meeting in 2008 but since then it’s been the world number one who has been on top winning the next four without dropping a set, including a straight sets win at Wimbledon in the second round four years ago. “Somehow I’m still alive”. She had to save three break points in the third game but could not save the two she handed up in the fifth, and Williams had the glimmer of a chance she needed. I’m just so happy I could stay in that match. She broke Wozniacki once in the first set.

Williams, who has won 20 major titles in her career, is trying to win a calendar-year Grand Slam.

“I’ve said that many times”, said Roger Federer, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who will also be playing on Manic Monday.

In Thursday’s semifinals, No. 1 Williams faces No. 4 Maria Sharapova, who beat unseeded American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2. Williams has won 16 matches in a row, last tasting defeat in 2004 at the year-end championships.

Serena’s gritty fight-back extended her remarkable winning run at Grand Slams to 26 matches and her 2015 record to a blistering 37-1. “It didn’t faze me, nor did I think about it”.

“Maria’s been playing really well”, Williams said. Intense. Riveting. Entertaining. Sublime. Both hit the ball hard. “It’s so, in a way, annoying because guys grunt”. The victor will face reigning United States champion Marin Cilic.

Djokovic is due on No1 Court at 1pm for a one-set showdown to complete last night’s suspended fourth round match against South African Kevin Anderson.

American youngster Madison Keys was unable to unlock the defences of 2012 runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska, though, losing 7-6(3) 3-6 6-3 with the Pole now facing Muguruza.

The victor faces either Muguruza, who is playing for only the third time at Wimbledon, or Bacsinszky, in the semifinals. But on the flip side was this statistic: Radwanska made seven unforced errors, Keys 40.

Djokovic has not lost a set in the first week of action, as he has rolled over Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jarkko Nieminen and Bernard Tomic in his first three matches.

-Time Grand Slam victor Sharapova was forced to swat away claims of gamesmanship during her hard-fought 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 last eight victory over Coco Vandeweghe.

“I relished it pretty well”.

“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, whose uncle is ex- National Basteball Association star Kiki Vandeweghe, told reporters. “I’m practicing next to her every day and I’m in awe of how she’s doing”. I didn’t enjoy the result too much.

Azarenka is an interesting player, and she has a bigger history of giving Williams a challenge than any other woman remaining in the tournament. Azarenka wouldn’t concede, and even had a break point in the final game.

When she sealed the first set with a clean-as-a-whistle forehand pass a fourth career win from 20 matches against Williams looked not only possible, but likely. “I still have to find that extra step to go a little bit further”, the 25-year-old said.