:00:39. > :00:50.The first rule of the club is to not talk about the club but rules are
:00:51. > :00:56.made to be broken. Venus Williams is the oldest player left in the
:00:57. > :01:01.women's draw. Her opponent, Shvedova, is the lowest ranked
:01:02. > :01:06.player still standing. Dominika Cibulkova arranged her wedding for
:01:07. > :01:16.this Saturday. If she keeps winning, she will be lucky for a different
:01:17. > :01:21.region. -- reason. This is her first quarterfinal in singles. Aiming for
:01:22. > :01:25.her second semifinal, Simona Halep of Romania is the youngest of the
:01:26. > :01:32.quarterfinalists, 24. Angelique Kerber of Germany, the reigning
:01:33. > :01:40.Aussie Open player, has not trot a set on the way. The only player to
:01:41. > :01:44.have done this. This is Anastasia Pavlychenkova's first Grand Slam
:01:45. > :01:48.quarterfinal in five years. 22 is still the magic number for the
:01:49. > :01:53.defending champion Serena Williams as she takes aim at Steffi Graf's
:01:54. > :02:02.open era Grand Slam titles record. Those are the numbers, now, time for
:02:03. > :02:08.the tennis. Welcome to the most gorgeous evening at Wimbledon, the
:02:09. > :02:11.first really nice one we have had. We have views across number one
:02:12. > :02:16.court and centre and although it across to the shard and the city and
:02:17. > :02:24.Canary Wharf in the distance. I am in the company of two women who know
:02:25. > :02:32.exactly... Stop waving at people! This one! Two women who know what it
:02:33. > :02:34.is like to get to the latter stages, Lindsay Davenport and Martina
:02:35. > :02:43.Navratilova. You have both been playing. You are the priority. They
:02:44. > :02:48.are both in really good moods because they have both won. The
:02:49. > :02:50.average age of the quarterfinalists today is 28.8, the oldest being
:02:51. > :03:02.Venus Williams. You guys must be wishing you hadn't
:03:03. > :03:10.retired! I retired many years too late! Not just the winning, but the
:03:11. > :03:15.men as well. The closest match on paper was Simona Halep against
:03:16. > :03:22.Angelique Kerber. The fourth seed against the fifth seed. And so it
:03:23. > :03:27.proved. Romanian Simona Halep was French Open runner-up in 2014. She
:03:28. > :03:33.also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon that year. The number five
:03:34. > :03:38.seed saw off Madison Keys yesterday and was hoping to once again make
:03:39. > :03:42.the last four. The number four seed from Germany, Angelique Kerber, in
:03:43. > :03:47.January, she claimed her first ever grand slam title at the Australian
:03:48. > :03:50.Open in Melbourne. She has the perfect record so far this
:03:51. > :03:57.fortnight, eight sets won, none lost. They have met four times
:03:58. > :04:01.before, Halep winning three of those but Kerber took the latest and both
:04:02. > :04:03.of them have reached semifinals here before. It was a really good
:04:04. > :04:14.standard of tennis. The rallies were outstanding. The
:04:15. > :04:42.crowd really got into this on Centre Court.
:04:43. > :04:49.That is just to give you a flavour of how good it was in the early
:04:50. > :04:51.stages. Both started with a very high level. We will join it at Halep
:04:52. > :05:25.serving. COMMENTATOR: the great defence of
:05:26. > :05:41.Kerber gets her out of trouble. One of the few backhand on. Errors
:05:42. > :06:01.we have seen from Halep. Ducksch unforced errors.
:06:02. > :06:12.That was just a little too out. They have managed some angles in this
:06:13. > :06:13.match so far. Halep purposefully taking all the pace on those
:06:14. > :07:14.backhands, trying to get them short. Kerber controlling this point with
:07:15. > :07:46.her forehand. She finishes the point well inside the baseline.
:07:47. > :07:57.Just wide from Halep. Kerber again doing damage, the slice she is able
:07:58. > :08:01.to generate... What a contrast, the one ground strokes that hit the
:08:02. > :08:05.baseline and then the next one, a drop shot so close to the net, so
:08:06. > :08:06.much court for Halep to have to cover and she wasn't able to do it
:08:07. > :08:27.there. Set point. A sad way for the set to end. Kerber
:08:28. > :08:31.is the only one of the eight an quarterfinal date who has not
:08:32. > :08:40.dropped a set so far and she made ten her perfect record. That handed
:08:41. > :08:45.Kerber the first set 7-5. Lindsay Davenport was co-commentating, some
:08:46. > :08:49.wonderful moments? Yes, two two of the best athletes, movers, and
:08:50. > :08:53.neither one can win points very often with their power but their
:08:54. > :08:58.movement around the court, it was remarkable. Both of them making ball
:08:59. > :09:01.after ball so graceful. It was fun to watch and commentator on. This
:09:02. > :09:12.was a 22 shot rally. Kerber with the squat shot winner.
:09:13. > :09:16.The first four games of the second set went with serve and then breaks
:09:17. > :09:50.were exchanged and we join it with Halep serving 3-4.
:09:51. > :09:57.Just wide from Halep. She gets that challenge in frustration but these
:09:58. > :10:13.recovery shots from Kerber... Kerber's tenacity could be taking
:10:14. > :10:30.her towards what could be a key break of serve.
:10:31. > :10:41.She should let her get away there with the second serve. Kerber made
:10:42. > :10:45.contact with the week second serve behind the baseline and wasn't
:10:46. > :10:47.willing to step up and take that return early. Halep will be
:10:48. > :11:06.breathing a sigh of relief right now.
:11:07. > :11:17.Both layers covering every blade of grass, so fast, so determined. --
:11:18. > :11:21.both players. It is a great lesson to young players, this. Just never
:11:22. > :12:15.give up on these wide balls. Keep believing.
:12:16. > :12:23.Kerber ahead again. This time, it is for a 5-3 lead and this time it
:12:24. > :13:02.means she is serving for the match. That was a perfect served by Kerber,
:13:03. > :13:30.she set herself up for the easy forehand.
:13:31. > :13:36.What a recovery after the first point, so much court covered. Hasn't
:13:37. > :14:14.hit many volleys in this match and then hit an absolute perfect one.
:14:15. > :14:23.Again, Halep on the stretch, in a defensive position, going for the
:14:24. > :14:30.hard recovery shot and again, it is working for her. She to keep
:14:31. > :15:21.believing. -- she has to keep believing.
:15:22. > :15:31.CLARE BALDING: so, was the fightback on? Halep breaking serve when she
:15:32. > :15:37.had to. This was like a game of chess, fantastic ball placement,
:15:38. > :15:39.very good retrieving as well. Fans were desperate for it to go to a
:15:40. > :15:49.third set. Halep hung on in there and took it
:15:50. > :15:54.to a tie-break. But she just went off the boil a bit and we join it
:15:55. > :16:16.with Halep serving, 1-5 down in that second set tie-break.
:16:17. > :16:39.JONATHAN OVEREND: two service points to come for the German.
:16:40. > :16:58.Oh! Goodness me! On potentially deep and ultimate point of the match, to
:16:59. > :17:03.get such a net court as that. -- penultimate. Sometimes life is not
:17:04. > :17:04.fair. But Kerber has played magnificently today, she has got
:17:05. > :17:34.four match points. It was a tough match against Simona
:17:35. > :17:44.Halep. We are both playing really good tennis. I am really happy with
:17:45. > :17:47.my performance. I was playing really tough and moving good and being
:17:48. > :17:54.aggressive and this was actually not so bad today. Angelique Kerber still
:17:55. > :17:57.has not dropped a set at these Championships and she looks to be
:17:58. > :18:01.growing in confidence and so different to the way she played at
:18:02. > :18:07.the French. Straight after winning the Australian. Back here and we are
:18:08. > :18:13.looking at a grand slam winner. I think the pressure got to her. The
:18:14. > :18:19.expectation after winning a grand slam is so great. Now she has
:18:20. > :18:24.learned how to deal with it. An interesting matchup between the two.
:18:25. > :18:29.They were not reactive players but Kerber took charge of the points and
:18:30. > :18:32.was looking to do something and was inside the court more and a lot
:18:33. > :18:36.closer to the baseline than Halep and she took more chances and it
:18:37. > :18:41.paid off. I have said before on paper, evenly matched in their
:18:42. > :18:46.rankings but the way they play, I love the movement around the court,
:18:47. > :18:51.it was really exciting. So much of tennis is decided by power and we
:18:52. > :18:55.see that with Serena and Venus. But these two are more thinkers on the
:18:56. > :18:58.court and they rely on their speed and they move their shots around.
:18:59. > :19:03.Kerber does a great job changing direction. Martina is right, she was
:19:04. > :19:09.the player more willing take chances today. She was also way more
:19:10. > :19:13.mentally tough. The score is close but on those big occasions, at the
:19:14. > :19:20.end of the first and second, Kerber was able to rise to the challenge.
:19:21. > :19:23.Kerber was playing to win whereas Halep was just hoping Kerber would
:19:24. > :19:30.lose and that was not going to happen. She was very focused. She
:19:31. > :19:33.was inside the baseline. Halep as a result ran about 10% more than
:19:34. > :19:38.Kerber because she was having to cover much wider parts of the court.
:19:39. > :19:44.You have issues with Halep Botha second serve in particular? She
:19:45. > :19:48.should have a better technique and she doesn't use her hand. Nice
:19:49. > :19:52.movement on the ground strokes but doesn't use her hand and asked,
:19:53. > :19:58.could use some work. What happened in the second set tie-break to
:19:59. > :20:04.Halep? She had some momentum going into the tie-break and Kerber was
:20:05. > :20:09.disappointed no doubt. Then Halep went away, two easy returns. She
:20:10. > :20:14.made errors, was sloppy, and then match point. Just a routine backhand
:20:15. > :20:17.miss. That tie-break is when you want to play your best tennis and
:20:18. > :20:24.she went from competing mentally, it looks like. Kerber will get a lot of
:20:25. > :20:29.attention. She wants to be the first German Wimbledon champion since
:20:30. > :20:35.Steffi Graf. Can she handle this? Her game is good enough. Mentally,
:20:36. > :20:42.definitely. That hurdle has been cleared. Now, can she play that well
:20:43. > :20:47.on the grass against the Williams sisters may be or whoever she will
:20:48. > :20:51.play? She needs to play like she did today and good things can happen. I
:20:52. > :20:58.have some concerns with the second serve. If she plays a more
:20:59. > :21:02.aggressive player, it is predictable. Halep did not take
:21:03. > :21:05.advantage today. It has to work out for Kerber as well because if a
:21:06. > :21:09.player starts to put pressure on that, the weaker shot of Kerber's
:21:10. > :21:17.game, I would love to see how she does that.
:21:18. > :21:25.In Thursday's semifinal, on Court One, look at Venus Williams who
:21:26. > :21:30.first played here in 1997 and she back inside the top ten. Paddy
:21:31. > :21:36.Gearey takes a look at the enduring power of planet Venus.
:21:37. > :21:43.Venus, the star that would not fade, the girl who came to Wimbledon first
:21:44. > :21:47.as a teenager, then as a champion. Then other phenomenon. The girl who
:21:48. > :21:55.keeps coming back. Been here around the block. 20 times! I have so much
:21:56. > :22:01.more experience but just an opportunity to play in 97 and have
:22:02. > :22:06.that first time, it is something you cannot repeat. In her first
:22:07. > :22:15.quarterfinal, the six years, she met Yaroslava Shvedova. She is a talent
:22:16. > :22:19.camouflaged by a world ranking of 96. The only woman to play a golden
:22:20. > :22:26.set at Wimbledon, winning every point. Against Venus, she settled
:22:27. > :22:31.for just winning a point. I don't think anyone feels older. You have
:22:32. > :22:35.this affinity inside you that feels like you can go forever. As long as
:22:36. > :22:42.I am halfway decent, I think I can make something happen. CLARE
:22:43. > :22:48.BALDING: the enjoyment she still has in the game is evident. She had set
:22:49. > :22:51.point on her opponent's serve and then she held serve. The first set
:22:52. > :22:54.went to a tie-break which is where we should will join the commentary
:22:55. > :23:25.from Sam Smith and Tracy Austin. Williams targeting that more
:23:26. > :23:50.Ritalin, forehand side. -- brittle, forehand side.
:23:51. > :23:58.I did wonder if Venus is feeling a little tired. She has played a lot
:23:59. > :24:02.of tennis. In the last eight days, some long matches, some filled with
:24:03. > :24:38.rain delays. Doubles as well. That was a change-up. Venus isn't
:24:39. > :24:42.playing the kids, these last eight days. Players usually about half her
:24:43. > :24:50.age and I think she is quite glad to see Shvedova down the other end at
:24:51. > :24:51.28, someone within a decade! She has great longevity, Williams, no signs
:24:52. > :25:14.of stopping as yet. Backhand slice, always effective on
:25:15. > :25:15.the approach but except 20 -- accentuated on this surface, it
:25:16. > :25:55.stays down low. Points are starting to heat up now
:25:56. > :27:23.and that was such a makeable volley, particularly for someone like Venus.
:27:24. > :27:32.If you are Venus, you have to realise you have been in this
:27:33. > :27:35.situation so much more frequently. It is her 35th Ram Slam
:27:36. > :28:15.quarterfinal. -- Grand Slam. Two serves to come for Shvedova,
:28:16. > :28:47.just up the mini-break. Trying to bounce around now, keep
:28:48. > :29:40.those feet moving. Well, she is making everyone nervous
:29:41. > :29:42.out here. Four points in a row for Venus, 52, just played a solid four
:29:43. > :30:04.points. Set point ever while Williams, this
:30:05. > :30:09.time on her own serve. -- set point for Williams. It is long! Never,
:30:10. > :30:20.ever write off Venus Williams, she takes the opening set on the
:30:21. > :30:24.breaker. CLARE BALDING: The nurse made a fast start, breaking the
:30:25. > :30:28.Shvedova the serve in the opening game. -- Venus. She was in front
:30:29. > :30:45.with a combination of power and accuracy. She was surprised there!
:30:46. > :31:02.And pretty soon the -- Venus was serving for the match. Watch are
:31:03. > :31:10.walking to the umpire, just like a little girl, like a schoolgirl! --
:31:11. > :31:18.watch her. How would you describe your road to getting back here?
:31:19. > :31:23.Yeah, the road was six years! They go by fast, thankfully. But I have
:31:24. > :31:26.been blessed, really blessed, to have the opportunity here, to have
:31:27. > :31:31.had an opportunity in the past to do this. And I don't have any regrets
:31:32. > :31:35.about anything that has taken place in between, it has been a journey,
:31:36. > :31:41.but it is something that I have had to do, and it has made me stronger.
:31:42. > :31:49.Her best round since she reached the final in 2009, healthy again,
:31:50. > :31:53.Lindsay, and happy. So happy, she has given some of the best press
:31:54. > :31:57.conferences, yesterday she said no-one picks you to win your first
:31:58. > :32:01.or your last, and you have to believe in yourself. I had never
:32:02. > :32:07.really heard in that context, but press and sometimes we are so quick
:32:08. > :32:12.to write her off, but she is loving playing right now, it is a privilege
:32:13. > :32:17.and a pleasure to watch her now. You see her smile, you say her laugh,
:32:18. > :32:25.just being on the court, she is so thrilled to be at there. Dealing
:32:26. > :32:28.with Sjogren's syndrome and immunodeficiency, she never knows
:32:29. > :32:31.how much energy she will have, and it gets so much more difficult when
:32:32. > :32:36.you get older, to manage your nerves, because things mean more, so
:32:37. > :32:40.you get more nervous. So to manage their energy anyway, on top of that,
:32:41. > :32:45.with the disorder she has, just remarkable that she has been able to
:32:46. > :32:48.stick with it, didn't quit, clearly appreciates it, loves being out
:32:49. > :32:52.here. She would never have thought she would be playing now, and here
:32:53. > :32:57.she is with a chance to win the whole thing. TUC said in parallels
:32:58. > :33:07.with her? Not just in terms of playing into their late 30s, but
:33:08. > :33:10.also the crowd are now with? -- do you see certain parallels?
:33:11. > :33:15.Absolutely, I felt like that most of my career, but when I started losing
:33:16. > :33:18.and I was older, the crowd was on my side, and that is what is happening
:33:19. > :33:22.with Venus Williams as well, and it is easier to enjoy things when
:33:23. > :33:26.people want you to do well, rather than always being the visiting team,
:33:27. > :33:32.always cheering for the other player. So she is appreciating, you
:33:33. > :33:38.know, she is just a joy to watch, I am so happy for her. You were 37
:33:39. > :33:42.when he lost the final in 1994, how much does Kyle and experience
:33:43. > :33:49.override, you know, flexibility and whatever else it is that might go?!
:33:50. > :33:55.Age and treachery overcome youth and experience every time! You know,
:33:56. > :34:01.your time is running out, Venus may still be here how many years, but
:34:02. > :34:06.you do not have many opportunities, who knows how much longer the body
:34:07. > :34:09.will be willing? She is appreciating, the pressure grows,
:34:10. > :34:13.you get much more nervous. Everybody gets nervous at there, you think you
:34:14. > :34:18.are the only one, and then you realise the other business just as
:34:19. > :34:22.nervous, if not more. And do you have to work that bit harder in
:34:23. > :34:25.terms of stretching properly before a match, giving yourself recovery
:34:26. > :34:31.time? Everything slows down when you get older, your legs, your mind, and
:34:32. > :34:37.it takes longer to get ready! You just kind of you know, deal with it,
:34:38. > :34:42.you know that is the deal, and of course Venus, on top of that, has to
:34:43. > :34:45.manage Sjogren's syndrome. You just lower the expectations and
:34:46. > :34:50.appreciated that much more when things happen. She was really
:34:51. > :34:54.flowing, Shvedova gave her chances, but Venus took them, and she goes
:34:55. > :34:58.through to the semifinals. They younger sister, six times a
:34:59. > :35:02.champion, Serena Williams through to the quarterfinals for the 12th time
:35:03. > :35:07.this century, up against a former junior world number one from Russia,
:35:08. > :35:10.playing in her first Wimbledon quarterfinal.
:35:11. > :35:17.Serena Williams, poised, powerful, but sometimes petulant. A straight
:35:18. > :35:24.sets win in the first round, but in round two there wasn't much serene
:35:25. > :35:29.in Serena. Williams has been throwing a little temper tantrum
:35:30. > :35:32.there! A crushing display of power tennis in the third round helped it
:35:33. > :35:37.to another straight sets win, but yesterday we had glimpses of
:35:38. > :35:42.frustrated Serena, angry at the rain delays, she let her feelings be
:35:43. > :35:48.known. And perhaps she gave a glimpse into what goes on in her
:35:49. > :35:53.mind. The passion and intensity that I have is what makes me Serena, and
:35:54. > :35:57.I cannot change, nor would I ever want to be different. Which Serena
:35:58. > :36:07.will we see in the quarterfinals? Fragile Orpheus? -- fragile or
:36:08. > :36:11.fearsome? We join the game and 4-4, with Pavlyuchenkova about to serve,
:36:12. > :36:29.Simon Reed and John McEnroe in the commentary box.
:36:30. > :36:38.Williams is going to ramp up the pressure, that return just set up
:36:39. > :36:47.that easy winner. Don't want to be heading to many 77 mph serves. Yeah,
:36:48. > :36:55.guess what, things are tight and upright here for Pavlyuchenkova. To
:36:56. > :36:59.me, I would try to hit a couple of serves like that, make sure the
:37:00. > :37:17.first one comes in now. Easier said than done!
:37:18. > :37:24.Had to go for it. Didn't have to go for that, feeling stressed, feeling
:37:25. > :37:29.real pressure for the first time, the score at 0-30. Maybe she doesn't
:37:30. > :37:34.understand the geometry of the court, found herself with less time
:37:35. > :37:38.than she wanted, and she is in trouble now at 0-40. First break
:37:39. > :38:10.points. Game, Is Williams. 5-4. CLARE
:38:11. > :38:17.BALDING: Serena knows when to step up a gear, and she took the first
:38:18. > :38:20.set 6-4. Second set went with serve early on, some fantastic exchangers,
:38:21. > :38:23.but Serena all the time looking like she was just moving up, saying, I
:38:24. > :38:41.have got you. You could sense the intensity, the
:38:42. > :38:50.power as well, very tight, 4-4, let's rejoined the action with
:38:51. > :39:41.Pavlyuchenkova to serve. -- let's rejoin.
:39:42. > :39:52.So quiet there, the last point, I think you could hear
:39:53. > :39:54.Pavlyuchenkova's heart beating. Trying to hang in here somehow,
:39:55. > :40:29.extend this. I think that is just officially
:40:30. > :40:44.doubled. She is facing break point for the second time.
:40:45. > :40:58.Sure enough, lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place.
:40:59. > :41:39.Rug up oh, she got it. A lightning shot. Well, it was also a lightning
:41:40. > :41:43.strike by Serena Williams, that forehand, that a volley went wide,
:41:44. > :42:33.and that is why she is jumping for joy, 30-0.
:42:34. > :42:44.Listen to that. The biggest calm on she has given, and that was quite
:42:45. > :43:04.restrained. -- come on. Two match points for the world's best.
:43:05. > :43:18.That skidded off the turf, no real way to get that back. A couple of
:43:19. > :43:26.worn patches back there didn't help the American.
:43:27. > :43:43.And why not? Finish like that. 123 mph, and other super performance. --
:43:44. > :43:50.another. It seems as if she is getting better and better.
:43:51. > :43:54.Congratulations, your reactions of winning through to another
:43:55. > :43:59.semifinal. It is good, I am excited to be able to win that one, to get
:44:00. > :44:03.through, and it felt really good. As you were starting, your sister was
:44:04. > :44:10.just finishing, how long before you knew she had won? I knew she was up
:44:11. > :44:21.5-15- two, and they always show the school, so it was like, yay! -- 5-1,
:44:22. > :44:24.5-2. I knew I had a really tough opponents today, and as well as my
:44:25. > :44:31.semifinal match, one thing I have learned this year is to just focus
:44:32. > :44:35.on the match. CLARE BALDING: Interesting to hear Serena talking
:44:36. > :44:39.about what you has learned, she was a super efficient today, Lindsey.
:44:40. > :44:44.Angie has been since that second-round match, she has had to
:44:45. > :44:48.play three days in a row. -- and she has been. She has cleaned up her
:44:49. > :44:52.game, she looks more concentrated, more focused. It is an interesting
:44:53. > :44:57.quote, I learned this year, something she does much better now
:44:58. > :45:00.is learn from the losses. Ten years ago, 12 years ago, she would lose,
:45:01. > :45:04.for get it, go to the next tournament and not think about it.
:45:05. > :45:12.Now I think she really takes the time, what do I need to get better
:45:13. > :45:15.at? She is on a mission to break this Grand Slam record, and that is
:45:16. > :45:19.the bad news for the rest of the field! She really wants it. Martina,
:45:20. > :45:25.when she is on song, she is sensational. So really never faced a
:45:26. > :45:30.break point, which really enables her to go for her return of serve
:45:31. > :45:35.and play more freely and her opponent is feeling the pressure.
:45:36. > :45:40.Pavlyuchenkova was not able to hold her serve, both sets ended up losing
:45:41. > :45:44.her serve and 4-4, because they are feeling the pressure. There are not
:45:45. > :45:55.that many safe places to hit in the court. Serena sticks the racket out,
:45:56. > :45:59.the point was never over. The great returners have not always mastered
:46:00. > :46:02.the serving part of the game, Serena does both so well, she puts pressure
:46:03. > :46:07.on her opponents when they are serving, and they do not think they
:46:08. > :46:12.can break serve, maybe once, if they are lucky. She has mastered the two
:46:13. > :46:17.biggest shot in tennis, your serve and your return, and nobody else can
:46:18. > :46:35.do that in women's ten is right now. She finished with an as, -- an ace.
:46:36. > :46:40.It is such a nice rotation, it starts with the legs, the hips, then
:46:41. > :46:45.the shoulder, then the last thing is the arms and the rest, she snaps the
:46:46. > :46:54.wrist at the top to accelerate even more. The last ace was 123 mph, most
:46:55. > :47:00.men would be proud of that. It is amazing. Down the middle is probably
:47:01. > :47:04.126, she has hit some hard ones before, but she can do it
:47:05. > :47:09.consistently. I have yet to see her ahead the ball as hard as she
:47:10. > :47:13.possibly can. Some people complicate the service motion, they moved too
:47:14. > :47:24.much, or they hit it straight on, turn your shoulders, use your legs,
:47:25. > :47:27.toss it up and hit. The other thing she does so well is because, always
:47:28. > :47:32.in the same spot, very hard to read where she will go with the serve.
:47:33. > :47:37.You can not guess what she is going to do, you try to play percentages,
:47:38. > :47:42.but she mixes it up. Even now, she is walking up to the other side of
:47:43. > :47:47.the court in the first game, she has changed that. One of the predictable
:47:48. > :47:51.things is that when the Williams sisters are both well, they want to
:47:52. > :47:58.play doubles together, they have won the title five times, and they were
:47:59. > :48:03.out with a pair I will let you name! The two Czech girls who have won
:48:04. > :48:07.Grand Slams together, they are not even seeded, because they have not
:48:08. > :48:10.played enough doubles, they are going for the Olympics, the title
:48:11. > :48:17.here, they are hard to beat on grass. The player who has scrambled
:48:18. > :48:22.the most is Dominika Cibulkova. Yesterday, in a match against
:48:23. > :48:27.Radwanska, she ran and covered 3000 metres, about 1.8 miles, more than
:48:28. > :48:32.any of the straight sets matches for the men, certainly more than any of
:48:33. > :48:37.the other women as well. Today she was up against a first-time
:48:38. > :48:43.quarterfinalist, who are also won her last match 9-7. Paddy Gearey
:48:44. > :48:50.brings us the story. Elena Vesnina is used to success,
:48:51. > :48:54.but only sharing it. In women's doubles, she has won two slams. In
:48:55. > :48:58.the latter stages of Wimbledon, it is familiar territory with someone
:48:59. > :49:02.at her side. But in the last round she found her regular partner,
:49:03. > :49:07.Ekaterina Makarova, the other side of the net, and Vesnina came into
:49:08. > :49:11.home. Now she is in the singles quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for
:49:12. > :49:13.the first time against Dominika Cibulkova, who thought her chances
:49:14. > :49:18.so unlikely she organised her wedding for the day the final. It
:49:19. > :49:23.seems there would be calls to make when she battled through an assault
:49:24. > :49:27.course against Radwanska, but Cibulkova had covered nearly three
:49:28. > :49:33.kilometres over three gruelling sets. The pocket rocket is through
:49:34. > :49:38.to the Wimbledon quarterfinals! How much did she have the inner legs?
:49:39. > :49:40.Vesnina had also covered some ground, following the singles match
:49:41. > :49:48.yesterday with a doubles contest, yet see seemed fresh, intention
:49:49. > :49:55.clear from the start. -- she seemed fresh. Vesnina was the outsider, the
:49:56. > :50:07.woman with no seeding but seemingly also no nerves. Oh, that is
:50:08. > :50:15.terrific. Dominika Cibulkova could not win a point in a raffle. What a
:50:16. > :50:20.wonderful first set. The change of set brought no change
:50:21. > :50:24.of fortunes, Vesnina, world another 50, was making a nonsense of the
:50:25. > :50:30.rankings. Ringing out the hope from the Slovakian. You never get a
:50:31. > :50:36.walkover with Cibulkova, she tried to reignite the spark, but Vesnina
:50:37. > :50:40.smothered the blame. She has got it, they are the kind of shots that are
:50:41. > :50:46.new places in the last four of a Grand Slam. -- that earn you. She
:50:47. > :50:51.will remember this for the rest of her life. It feels amazing, I still
:50:52. > :50:55.cannot believe that I won this match, I am really impressed with
:50:56. > :51:01.the way I play today, I hope the same level for the whole game. So
:51:02. > :51:06.Cibulkova's wedding goes on, and so does Vesnina's unlikely Wimbledon
:51:07. > :51:12.engagement. Very good line, that! Vesnina is the
:51:13. > :51:18.surprise package, isn't she? Ranked 100 and something? 122 in January.
:51:19. > :51:23.She may get to the top 50, she is gunning for the finals in Singapore.
:51:24. > :51:29.Amazing effort on her part, three Grand Slam wins in doubles, but came
:51:30. > :51:32.out of nowhere. This was unfortunate for Dominika Cibulkova, you depend
:51:33. > :51:36.on your legs and you have no legs left, that is a problem. But you
:51:37. > :51:41.have to say how well Vesnina played in the biggest match of her career.
:51:42. > :51:47.It seems Cibulkova was a bit empty, yesterday wiped it out, and she
:51:48. > :51:51.needs the spark, the mental energy. She was flat physically, she was
:51:52. > :51:56.flat emotionally, but Vesnina, she also played 9-7 in the third
:51:57. > :52:00.yesterday, and then she had to play doubles until 9:15, so a heck of an
:52:01. > :52:05.effort to be ready for the biggest match of her career today. Let's
:52:06. > :52:07.look at the semifinal draw. Serena Williams coming through at the top,
:52:08. > :52:25.OK, that is expected. What are you thinking? I am going to
:52:26. > :52:29.go out on a limb and say the Williams sisters will get to the
:52:30. > :52:37.finals! Serena we expected, but we picked Djokovic too, but this is
:52:38. > :52:40.tennis, Vesnina could play the match of alive, maybe Serena has eight
:52:41. > :52:51.weeks going on. If all things are normal, Serena Williams gets
:52:52. > :53:00.through. -- could play the match of her life, maybe Serena has a tweak.
:53:01. > :53:06.Angelique Kerber was a beast is today, she found the mix of offence
:53:07. > :53:12.and defence, and if she serves better, that will be the big thing.
:53:13. > :53:21.These are the respective serves of the four finalists.
:53:22. > :53:42.Look at how low Kerber is. It is going to go to bean is's backhand,
:53:43. > :53:46.she returns just fine there. -- Venus. Let's quickly catch up with
:53:47. > :53:50.the British doubles action that was at there today.
:53:51. > :53:52.World number one Jamie Murray and partner Bruno Soares
:53:53. > :53:53.finished off their marathon third-round match
:53:54. > :53:55.against Mate Pavic and Michael Venus.
:53:56. > :53:58.This match was halted at 13-13 in the fifth set late last night.
:53:59. > :54:01.Third seeds Murray and Soares came back today and wrapped up victory,
:54:02. > :54:08.16-14 in the decider, after just over five hours on court.
:54:09. > :54:11.And a real upset in the mixed doubles, where British wild cards
:54:12. > :54:15.Neal Skupski and Anna Smith came back from 5-2 down in the deciding
:54:16. > :54:20.set to beat the number one seeds, Ivan Dodig and Sania Mirza,
:54:21. > :54:39.There was one last men's match hanging over from last night.
:54:40. > :54:41.Thomas Berdych, runner-up here to Rafa Nadal in 2010,
:54:42. > :54:44.was locked in a late-night tie-break with Jiri Vesely which Berdych lost.
:54:45. > :54:47.They came off court at 9:23, Vesely having saved five match points.
:54:48. > :54:50.They resumed today at the start of a deciding fifth set.
:54:51. > :54:51.Tomas Berdych didn't waste much time.
:54:52. > :54:55.Vesely served more than a set's worth of aces, 26,
:54:56. > :54:59.and won through to a fourth quarterfinal here at Wimbledon.
:55:00. > :55:05.I was in a very good position to finish the match already yesterday,
:55:06. > :55:11.it didn't happen, we had to stop because of the darkness. Coming up
:55:12. > :55:15.again today, overall, it was all about, I would say, my experience, I
:55:16. > :55:20.have been in those situations in the past, and I know how to deal with
:55:21. > :55:24.that, so I was really trying to get this, you know, what happened
:55:25. > :55:32.yesterday out of my mind, just stay calm, focused, get ready for the
:55:33. > :55:34.shoot out of the last set today. Let's have a look at the men's
:55:35. > :56:01.quarterfinals tomorrow. Your thoughts on those. Roger
:56:02. > :56:05.Federer comes into the tournament not knowing if he has enough match
:56:06. > :56:09.play, playing more by memory than recent experience, as he has been
:56:10. > :56:14.injured and has not been able to play. And now he is fresh, he is
:56:15. > :56:18.playing great. Marin Cilic, another big opponent, so the last time they
:56:19. > :56:23.played in a big match, Cilic beat him at the US Open. And Andy Murray,
:56:24. > :56:28.he has got to be the favourite to win the whole thing, he is looking
:56:29. > :56:34.fantastic. Normally she is managing expectations! We are talking about
:56:35. > :56:41.possibly a Williams final, it is looking like it'll a Federer-Murray
:56:42. > :56:45.final. There are still a lot of matches to be played, but how Murray
:56:46. > :56:48.has played his matches this entire tournament has been very impressive.
:56:49. > :56:53.It seems like Ivan Lendl has really added the spark that was missing.
:56:54. > :57:00.The Lendl effect, have a look at that hashtag on social media. The
:57:01. > :57:01.shot of the day goes to the story of the day, Venus Williams proving that
:57:02. > :57:06.age is no barrier. Do we have the right shot this
:57:07. > :57:25.time?! She has still got it! Terrific
:57:26. > :57:26.movement from Venus. And a reminder of tomorrow's
:57:27. > :57:39.coverage. I would recommend a documentary that
:57:40. > :57:46.went out last night, Just Call Me Martina, it is an iPlayer for
:57:47. > :57:51.another week, it is about you. What else would you call me?! I was very
:57:52. > :57:55.happy with it, and apparently so were most people that watched it, I
:57:56. > :58:00.got a lot of new fans on Twitter, it turned out just fine, the family is
:58:01. > :58:05.happy with it as well. I am liking your prediction of a Federer-Murray
:58:06. > :58:10.final. I think a lot of people around here would like that! Nice
:58:11. > :58:16.problem. It would be a nice problem to have. The other thing about today
:58:17. > :58:25.was no threat of rain, gorgeous pink clouds, it has been a good day.
:58:26. > :58:30.Excellent. Really fun. And you won! What are you through do now? It is a
:58:31. > :58:35.round-robin, I will play Lindsey in the finals, a lot of tennis to play
:58:36. > :58:40.yet! I am looking forward to the women's matches. Men's quarterfinals
:58:41. > :58:44.tomorrow, and we will have full coverage, don't forget the radio and
:58:45. > :58:48.online team as well. But coming from different sides of the draw, it is
:58:49. > :58:54.helping the Williams sisters. They may end up as rivals on Saturday
:58:55. > :58:56.afternoon, but they are always sisters and always doing it for
:58:57. > :59:02.themselves. Once upon a time,
:59:03. > :59:05.a little girl clambered up a ladder That little girl
:59:06. > :59:09.would grow up to write some of the best-loved children's
:59:10. > :59:12.books in the English language. I'll be investigating how a covert
:59:13. > :59:20.operation between Britain's MI6 and America's CIA sought to bring about
:59:21. > :59:26.regime change in the early Cold War.