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SPORTS Friday 13 July 2018

Serena Williams nears 8th Wimbledon title, 24th Slam overall

By HOWARD FENDRICH the final,'" the 36-year-old last year while pregnant,
AP Tennis Writer Williams said. "For me it's part of a 16-month gap be-
LONDON (AP) — Yes, this such a pleasure and a joy tween majors.
will be Serena Williams' 10th because, you know, less After giving birth to daugh-
Wimbledon final. Yes, it's than a year ago, I was go- ter Olympia last Septem-
her 30th title match at any ing through so much stuff." ber, Williams was treated
major. And, well, sure, she's After hitting five aces with for blood clots.
widely regarded as not just a serve that reached 119 "I lost count after, like, four
the best of her era, but any mph, delivering 16 winners surgeries," said Williams,
era. to only seven unforced er- who has been wearing
Let others shrug at this lat- rors, and covering the court compression leggings this
est accomplishment, as if so well with speed and ef- fortnight as a precaution.
all it signified were merely fort, Williams will face an- Her first Grand Slam tourna-
another chance at an- other German, 11th-seed- ment back was the French
other in a long line of tro- ed Angelique Kerber, on Open, where she won three
phies. Williams is not shy Saturday. matches before withdraw-
about saying she, for one, "Whatever happens, hon- ing last month because of
is impressed by this. Rightly estly," Williams said, "it's an an injured chest muscle.
so. For it was only about 10 incredible effort from me." All of the time away pushed
months ago she was hav- The left-handed Kerber, a someone who's spent more
ing a baby and then deal- former No. 1 and two-time than 300 weeks ranked
ing with a serious health major champion, beat No. 1 down the rankings —
scare that followed. 12th-seeded Jelena Osta- she began Wimbledon at
Even after all of that, even penko 6-3, 6-3 earlier Thurs- 181st, but was seeded 25th
after more than a year day. "Seeing her back, it's on account of her past suc-
away from the game, even great," said Kerber, who cess — and no one could
in only the fourth tourna- has lost six of eight previous quite be sure how the
ment of her comeback, matches against Williams. American would fare over
Williams showed she's still "I know that she is always these two weeks.
capable of dominance. Es- pushing you to the limits." Not even Williams knew. Serena Williams of the US gestures during the women's
pecially at the All England Kerber let 2017 French "This is not inevitable for me. semifinal match against Julia Goerges of Germany at the
Club, where a relatively Open champion Ostapen- I had a really tough de- Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday July 12,
2018.
routine 6-2, 6-4 victory over ko determine the outcome livery ... and almost didn't Associated Press
13th-seeded Julia Goerges of nearly every point. By make it, to be honest," Wil-
of Germany on Thursday the end, Ostapenko had liams said. "I remember I She's also won her past 15 the amateur era.
put Williams one win away far more winners, 30-10, couldn't even walk to my Grand Slam matches since Williams' match against
from an eighth champion- and far more unforced er- mail box, so it's definitely the start of the 2017 Austra- Goerges was even until
ship. rors, 36-7. not 'normal' for me to be lian Open, which she won 2-all, 30-all. Until then, Go-
She's also closing in on Williams vs. Kerber will be a in a Wimbledon final." The while pregnant. erges, the first seeded play-
her 24th Grand Slam title, rematch of the 2016 final. victory over Goerges ex- That title pushed her past er Williams faced these two
which would equal Marga- Williams won that for a sec- tended Williams' winning Steffi Graf's record of 22 weeks, showed she was
ret Court's all-time record. ond consecutive Wimble- streak at Wimbledon to majors in the half-century capable of trading power
"A lot of people were say- don title, then sat out the 20 matches, dating to the professional era; Court won from the baseline and big
ing, 'Oh, she should be in grass-court tournament start of the 2015 edition. some of her Slams during serves with Williams.q

Wimbledon glance: Nadal, Djokovic to renew rivalry in semis

LONDON (AP) — A quick matchup between No. 8 eliminate Roger Federer in
look at Wimbledon: seed Anderson and No. 9 the quarterfinals, erasing a
LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY: Isner, who leads the head- match point and a two-set
This is the first time all four to-head 8-3. Neither has deficit.
male semifinalists at a won a major title, although FRIDAY'S FORECAST: Partly
Grand Slam tournament Anderson came the clos- cloudy with possible after-
are in their 30s. Rafael est, losing to Nadal in last noon showers. High of 26
Nadal and Novak Djokovic year's U.S. Open final. Isner degrees (79 F).
renew their rivalry in one hadn't even been as far STAT OF THE DAY: 7 — the
semifinal, while Kevin An- as the quarterfinals at any number of unforced errors
derson and John Isner meet Slam since 2011, until mak- Kerber and Williams each
in the other. This will be the ing a run at the grass-court made during their semifinal
52nd meeting between tournament where he is victories.
17-time major champion best known for having won QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm
Nadal and 12-time ma- the longest match in tennis going to say hers because
jor champ Djokovic, more history, 70-68 in the fifth set she's moving those feet
than any other two men against Nicolas Mahut in Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates defeating Juan Martin Del now, she's walking, maybe
Potro of Argentina in their men's quarterfinal match at the
ever have played each 2010. "For a lot of people, Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday July a little too fast" — Seven-
other. Nadal leads overall that's definitely the lasting 11, 2018. time champion Williams on
(26-25) and at Grand Slam image of my career," Isner Associated Press whether she or her daugh-
tournaments (9-4), while said. ter Olympia has made
they're even at Wimbledon "If I can keep going fur- all 95 of his service games nals without being broken greater improvements to
(1-1), where Djokovic won ther here, I can maybe in this tournament, the first since records began in their footwork in the last 10
their 2011 final. It's the 12th squash that." He has won man to get to the semifi- 1992. All Anderson did was months.q