Women's Quarter-Finals, Part 1

:00:48. > :00:57.The quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Only eight women left standing. When some

:00:58. > :01:04.of the greats of tennis are tested by pretenders to their crown. She's

:01:05. > :01:09.very hungry, very keen player, a very confident young lady. At 16,

:01:10. > :01:18.when I walked out to play the lead Jean King, she was my idol. --

:01:19. > :01:22.Billie Jean King. Any time you play in a major in a quarterfinals

:01:23. > :01:26.against somebody you admire and respect, there will be extra nervous

:01:27. > :01:37.and I think a little more pressure as well. This is the reason why we

:01:38. > :01:41.practice for 15, 20 years, to get an opportunity to play in the

:01:42. > :01:50.quarterfinals of a major, any major that this is special because it's

:01:51. > :01:55.Wimbledon. That's it. She sees her daughter go into a Wimbledon

:01:56. > :02:01.semifinal. When it comes down to it, it's just a tennis court, the same

:02:02. > :02:09.dimensions as any court you have ever played on. There's only ball.

:02:10. > :02:13.It doesn't matter who the player is on the other side of the net. If

:02:14. > :02:18.you've got this far, you must be pretty good.

:02:19. > :02:30.As Tracey's story proved in 1979, this can be a make or break day. 18

:02:31. > :02:34.women remain but after a tournament of shock exits, it's not quite the

:02:35. > :02:40.match ups we expected. Some new stars have emerged but who will have

:02:41. > :02:46.the passion and intensity to go for? Centre Court is ready, the most

:02:47. > :02:50.famous court in the world will be staging two of the quarterfinals and

:02:51. > :02:55.that is where we have made our way, and it's wonderful to be back out

:02:56. > :03:02.there with Tracey and Lindsay. A special healing, the first time out

:03:03. > :03:05.on the court. It is. My son came here for the first time yesterday

:03:06. > :03:10.and said it is so intimate and smaller than he thought it would be,

:03:11. > :03:17.so every seat in the house is traffic. That was amazing, I was

:03:18. > :03:23.getting teary eyed watching Tracy up there! I haven't seen that much, I

:03:24. > :03:29.never went back and watched it. So let's see a little more of it. You

:03:30. > :03:36.talk about Billie Jean King being your idol, and you were only 16. You

:03:37. > :03:41.look about 12. The trademark little bunches you always had, but you were

:03:42. > :03:48.moving her all over the place. She came to our club when I was in

:03:49. > :03:53.fourth grade and did a commercial, I did a report on her in school, I got

:03:54. > :03:58.an A-, so she was always someone I looked up to, and the lead Jean King

:03:59. > :04:05.on Centre Court will be intimidating and I feel like quarterfinals in

:04:06. > :04:08.Grand Slams are when the business end of the tournament starts. How

:04:09. > :04:17.many quarters have you made in majors, so this is a big day and we

:04:18. > :04:23.have for surprise quarterfinalists. That is what you gave her for giving

:04:24. > :04:28.you an A- and not an A+. I didn't have enough indentations in the

:04:29. > :04:32.paragraphs! This is when it gets more nerve wracking. At the

:04:33. > :04:38.beginning of your career you think let's make it to the second week,

:04:39. > :04:44.but playing back-to-back here, the intensity ends up on Monday night,

:04:45. > :04:49.once you know what the quarterfinal line-ups are, you get ready to go

:04:50. > :04:55.again the next day, a little more pressure, more serious in the locker

:04:56. > :05:01.room. Quieter. Letters start to leave, it is Abe a day, there is a

:05:02. > :05:05.big difference between quarterfinalists and semifinalist.

:05:06. > :05:12.It is a huge opportunity for the players. It's not quite the matchups

:05:13. > :05:17.we expected at the start of the tournament, but let's look at who is

:05:18. > :05:20.on court today. We will start with the world number one, the reigning

:05:21. > :05:27.champion, Serena Williams is once again the headline act, basing a

:05:28. > :05:34.chance at ousting her is an estate Pavlyuchenkova. Venus Williams is

:05:35. > :05:40.back in the big time. Can she reach her first Wimbledon semifinal since

:05:41. > :05:47.2009? Flying the flag for haddock standing, Jaroslav Shvedova is

:05:48. > :05:53.looking to set the odds. Angelique Kerber has been in cruise control to

:05:54. > :06:00.the Courtaulds. She will expect a tougher test to her credentials from

:06:01. > :06:03.Simona Halep. Dominika Cibulkova has wowed the crowds with her sizzling

:06:04. > :06:09.form on grass and is unbeaten in nine matches. Looking to end that

:06:10. > :06:14.run is Elena Vesnina, in uncharted territory after reaching the first

:06:15. > :06:22.Grand Slam quarterfinal. Where will we see these matches? First up it is

:06:23. > :06:26.Halep against Kerber. There will be some wonderful rallies to look

:06:27. > :06:32.forward to, then Serena against Pavlyuchenkova, the number 21 seed,

:06:33. > :06:37.then the Bryan brothers will make their worst appearance on Centre

:06:38. > :06:46.Court. Venus Williams first up against Shvedova, great to see her

:06:47. > :06:53.in top form, who will triumph today? Who will have the energy to get to

:06:54. > :06:59.the semifinal. Then the top seeds, Herbert and manhood. We will keep an

:07:00. > :07:07.eye on Court number three, because the more experienced check Tomas

:07:08. > :07:13.Berdych, is in battle with cheery Vasili. Berdych was not happy about

:07:14. > :07:20.being kept out late last night, and we will also keep an eye on Jamie

:07:21. > :07:25.Murray and Bruno Suarez. We have those to look forward to. It is

:07:26. > :07:32.ladies quarterfinals day and we talked about Serena, she breaks

:07:33. > :07:37.record after record. Still looking for that elusive 22nd Grand Slam

:07:38. > :07:42.title. Venus, her first quarterfinal here for some time, she has come

:07:43. > :07:46.through a couple of tough matches but she is always dangerous.

:07:47. > :07:55.Angelique Kerber is the top-ranked player in the bottom half of the

:07:56. > :07:59.draw. A big chance for her. Simona Halep, she put out Madison Keys in

:08:00. > :08:07.three sets yesterday, she has promised so much in recent years.

:08:08. > :08:12.And here is Tomas Berdych. He wasn't a happy man last night, he didn't

:08:13. > :08:16.want to let that fourth set tie-break, he wanted to come back

:08:17. > :08:22.today or move to Centre Court that he will be back on Court three to

:08:23. > :08:31.complete his match. We will try to see if we can see it because it was

:08:32. > :08:39.9:23pm when they had set point here. The crowd rise. It was just a

:08:40. > :08:44.wonderful atmosphere on the court and cheery Vasili has held firm, so

:08:45. > :08:49.the young pretender from the Czech Republic trying to help the former

:08:50. > :08:58.finalist. I don't know if you saw that, Lindsay. It was crazy. He was

:08:59. > :09:02.up 6-1 in the breaker, Berdych comes back, isn't able to close it out and

:09:03. > :09:08.then some discussion went wanted to come in here but the court had been

:09:09. > :09:15.closed. Can you imagine the panic in our office? Exactly! It must have

:09:16. > :09:20.been so hard for them both to slip, especially Berdych when you have all

:09:21. > :09:26.those match points and don't come through, so interesting to see how

:09:27. > :09:32.they both handle the situation. The conditions are different and a lot

:09:33. > :09:37.to remember from last night. Berdych went and -- 3-1 down and was

:09:38. > :09:42.unhappy, he was furious with the umpire. It is tough to lose those

:09:43. > :09:47.match points in any situation but when you know the sun is going down

:09:48. > :09:52.and you can see the sand going through the Ardglass, how many more

:09:53. > :09:57.points you can play, he knew he had to finish it in that fourth set and

:09:58. > :10:01.it was interesting because we were doing the highlights show and in the

:10:02. > :10:06.middle of a tie-break he was asking to come. Once you start the

:10:07. > :10:11.tie-break you have to try to finish. It was wonderful drama. It is ladies

:10:12. > :10:16.quarterfinal date and a much brighter sky, a little overcast, I

:10:17. > :10:21.hope you will have some sunshine but someone who can tell us about the

:10:22. > :10:28.weather is someone who looks like a ray of sunshine, Carol Kirkwood.

:10:29. > :10:34.You can see how easy it is behind me. We are looking for some good

:10:35. > :10:38.tennis and it should stay dry. We have quite a bit of cloth at the

:10:39. > :10:43.moment and when you are under the cloud it does feel chilly but in the

:10:44. > :10:50.sunshine it looks rather pleasant and eels lessened. We're looking at

:10:51. > :10:54.temperatures up to 21. Into the evening we expect it to stay dry

:10:55. > :10:59.with sunny spells. Tomorrow it will be aimed at the start but a sunny

:11:00. > :11:04.one, through the day you will notice more cloud forming, so by the

:11:05. > :11:08.afternoon we are looking at sunny spells rather than wall-to-wall blue

:11:09. > :11:14.skies. As we head through the rest of the week will be a mixture of

:11:15. > :11:18.bright spells, sunshine and the risk of a couple of showers, but by

:11:19. > :11:22.Friday it will feel more human than today and into the weekend we could

:11:23. > :11:27.be looking at temperatures into the mid-20s at Wimbledon, but it doesn't

:11:28. > :11:34.mean it will be down dry. It will be blustery as well.

:11:35. > :11:41.We will take the clouds as long as it is dry. We will look ahead to

:11:42. > :11:45.each of the quarterfinals today, starting with the world number one,

:11:46. > :11:52.Serena Williams. Here is the story of her championship so far. Serena

:11:53. > :11:58.Williams, number one in the world and up against a woman in the match

:11:59. > :12:03.of her life. I never underestimate anyone so it was a really good

:12:04. > :12:13.match. I was shouting at myself and pushing myself, so... It was tough,

:12:14. > :12:21.but I always expect the best. Serena Williams has won her 80th match at

:12:22. > :12:29.Amazon. -- at Wimbledon. It was a really good match. She played great,

:12:30. > :12:35.she always plays great against me, it takes a lot to break me mentally

:12:36. > :12:43.and I knew in the third I would have to put my mind in it. What a way to

:12:44. > :12:55.finish. I was really focused and calm. Did you know that was your 300

:12:56. > :13:00.Grand Slam win? No! Was at? I had no idea. She has played really well

:13:01. > :13:06.against me in the past and beat me earlier this year, so I knew I had

:13:07. > :13:13.to play well to win this. She is simply the best. She certainly had

:13:14. > :13:22.that battle with Christina McHale. That was a battle, Christina have

:13:23. > :13:27.that nifty lead, 40-15 on her serve and it seemed like Serena's spirits

:13:28. > :13:32.were sinking, and that is when McHale couldn't handle the

:13:33. > :13:40.situation, then Serena, once she is back into that set, back against the

:13:41. > :13:45.wall she seems to come up with best, but yesterday was when she played

:13:46. > :13:51.her best tennis. It is like she clicks fingers it is a different

:13:52. > :13:55.level. She played phenomenal. It was bad Serena and then good Serena. The

:13:56. > :14:03.second set she only dropped by points. Once the roof closed, it was

:14:04. > :14:08.almost game over, and it is interesting that threat than up

:14:09. > :14:14.didn't fight a little harder. She was troubling Serena in the first

:14:15. > :14:17.set, Serena was getting frustrated. Svetlana is one of the few who can

:14:18. > :14:24.play offensive anti-fence of, and Serena was trying to dictate play.

:14:25. > :14:29.It got interesting once the roof closed and it was all over. One of

:14:30. > :14:37.the best sets I have seen from Serena, it was that good. Svetlana

:14:38. > :14:41.had such a good game plan at the beginning, she was slicing, mixing

:14:42. > :14:45.up the pace, she can handle the power of Serena but once that roof

:14:46. > :14:52.was closed, she just kind of let what happened happened, it had been

:14:53. > :14:58.about a key second missed so it wasn't that slippery but the other

:14:59. > :15:02.matches were on Court, it happened in Australia 2009, she won the first

:15:03. > :15:10.set and then it's different when the roof is closed, and Serena said they

:15:11. > :15:15.both went off and talk to their coaches, that made a difference, she

:15:16. > :15:21.got some good advice. Patrick is very strong with her. Serena has

:15:22. > :15:28.always run her own show on the tennis court and in 2012 she let

:15:29. > :15:32.Patrick in and everything he says, she listens, he has got to refocus,

:15:33. > :15:37.it is amazing seeing her so committed now, no way people would

:15:38. > :15:41.have guessed ten years ago that she would still be playing and still

:15:42. > :15:46.this hungry. He motivated her by saying she is still good enough and

:15:47. > :15:54.can make records, he wanted to give her a site further away to aim for.

:15:55. > :16:01.He didn't make it about micro, micro seem to get boring for her, for so

:16:02. > :16:04.many years she was in and out of tournament is like a tourist, and

:16:05. > :16:10.since Patrick has been on board you have noticed how many good results

:16:11. > :16:13.she has had in the smaller tournaments, and how many Grand

:16:14. > :16:19.Slams she has won in that time, I think she is playing for history and

:16:20. > :16:24.there is a lot on the line here. She hasn't won a major since Wimbledon

:16:25. > :16:29.last year. Let's look at the draw because these new stars have

:16:30. > :16:34.emerged, they are not young stars of new names for people at home. They

:16:35. > :16:40.are all veterans. None of those players have ever been Serena, so

:16:41. > :16:46.Serena a heavy favourite on top of the drop but it is great to see

:16:47. > :16:50.players come through. Elena Vesnina has been around a long time and to

:16:51. > :16:56.see her have success in singles, she has always been at good doubles

:16:57. > :17:03.player, and very nice girl in the locker room. How about Dominika

:17:04. > :17:09.Cibulkova? Getting married on Saturday, but she is a great player

:17:10. > :17:14.to watch and a lot of fun. She has a nine match winning streak on grass

:17:15. > :17:18.and said she didn't think she laid well, that is why she planned her

:17:19. > :17:25.wedding on Saturday, and one in Eastbourne yesterday. So many

:17:26. > :17:29.changes of momentum, it was a three are match. She is someone to look

:17:30. > :17:35.out for. We will look at the match later but we talked about the older

:17:36. > :17:40.players in the top half of the draw, but the oldest in the draw is Venus

:17:41. > :17:48.Williams. It is her 19th Wimbledon. What a career it has been. I've been

:17:49. > :17:54.blessed to live my dream to do what I wanted to do and not everyone has

:17:55. > :17:59.that chance. Abe blessed life, a charmed life, it could have been

:18:00. > :18:04.anyone but it was me, I've been fortunate enough to achieve the

:18:05. > :18:11.things I've wanted to do. I've been here around the block 20 times, so I

:18:12. > :18:17.am so much more experienced than just the chance to play in 1997 that

:18:18. > :18:23.first time, it's something you can't repeat. It was tough to date your

:18:24. > :18:36.first time but since then I was able to handle my nerves better. Venus

:18:37. > :18:42.Williams retains her title. Her third Wimbledon title. Venus

:18:43. > :18:49.Williams reigned supreme at Wimbledon. The champion for the

:18:50. > :18:55.first time here. To play at this level you have to be passionate,

:18:56. > :18:59.every point is tough. Working so hard and then being able to do what

:19:00. > :19:05.you love and achieve your dreams, that is so wonderful. I have always

:19:06. > :19:10.worked my hardest, I've lost matches, I learned from it, it made

:19:11. > :19:15.me better, so I wouldn't change a thing. I would have liked to hit

:19:16. > :19:20.that one shot the front they've that that's competition, you learn from

:19:21. > :19:26.it. I still feel 26, I don't thing anyone feels older, you have this

:19:27. > :19:31.infinity inside you that feels like you could go for ever, so as long as

:19:32. > :19:37.I'm half wave decent and can get my racket on the ball, I think I can

:19:38. > :19:42.make something happen. Guys talk about she won this Wimbledon and

:19:43. > :19:47.that Wimbledon, it has played a big role in terms of how I will be

:19:48. > :19:51.remembered in tennis history. It's great to be for I am in life, I'm

:19:52. > :19:59.enjoying my life and my tennis, playing well, so who can ask for

:20:00. > :20:02.more? We have relocated behind because we were going to get moved

:20:03. > :20:10.off quickly as they are getting ready for the next match. It is an

:20:11. > :20:14.incredible story. At 36, back in the quarterfinals for the first time

:20:15. > :20:19.since 2010, she said she had children syndrome about four or five

:20:20. > :20:26.years ago, which makes you very tired. She doesn't know if she will

:20:27. > :20:30.be more of hard from one day to the next, and she has had long matches

:20:31. > :20:36.here, back in the top ten for the first time in a row, always a threat

:20:37. > :20:42.here and when you look at the draw, Venus has won this five times and it

:20:43. > :20:45.is extraordinary because Richard Williams said his girls had so many

:20:46. > :20:50.things to do, so many interests, they would be won by their mid-20s

:20:51. > :20:56.and here she is up dirty sets as strong as ever. It shows how much

:20:57. > :20:59.she loves the game because with everything she's one it would be

:21:00. > :21:05.easy to walk away but she doesn't want to. This is the tournament why

:21:06. > :21:12.she is still playing, it is her favourite tournament, and she said

:21:13. > :21:18.it would go down, this will go down as one of my favourite quotes,

:21:19. > :21:22.nobody picks you to win your last Grand Slam so you have to tick

:21:23. > :21:27.yourself, and she's still think she has a chance and that is the most

:21:28. > :21:32.important thing. I don't think that the beginning of the tournament we

:21:33. > :21:37.would have said it is a possibility, now it is likely that it will be

:21:38. > :21:42.another all Williams final. That would be amazing for them at their

:21:43. > :21:50.ages now. She has come through some tough layers. Yesterday she had to

:21:51. > :21:54.dig deep. There was rain delay, she spent a lot of time there because of

:21:55. > :22:01.rain delays and Navarro is no slouch. She has even Venus three

:22:02. > :22:07.other times, a crafty player with different spins, but Venus loves to

:22:08. > :22:13.spend time in the forecourt here. It is lovely to see. Her game is

:22:14. > :22:17.rewarded because she had so flat and hard, she likes to have quicker

:22:18. > :22:23.points on this service, she doesn't like the long rallies, and the

:22:24. > :22:27.ability to defend, and the most important thing is that she loves

:22:28. > :22:33.the surface. For so many other layers they haven't yet crossed that

:22:34. > :22:38.hurdle of playing on a surface only for one month and are not that

:22:39. > :22:44.comfortable. We going to talk about age, Venus at the top of 36, Serena

:22:45. > :22:55.at dirty for, the youngest is Simona Halep. No one is 16 like it was back

:22:56. > :22:58.in 1979. It was 16 years ago that the Williams sisters were in their

:22:59. > :23:04.first quarterfinal together, but it is tougher and more physical now.

:23:05. > :23:09.Gone are the days when youngsters can come in and sustain it through a

:23:10. > :23:16.championship. It has been such a change, it is not a sport about

:23:17. > :23:24.teenagers. We had Martina Hingis win three majors here at 16 in the

:23:25. > :23:27.1990s, but now it is about experience, players' bodies being

:23:28. > :23:33.able to handle the demands of the tour, but that youngest player is

:23:34. > :23:41.24. You would have thought it would be younger but it shows experience

:23:42. > :23:46.is winning. Younger ones like Halep and Kerber have had debts of not

:23:47. > :23:51.handling the pressure. This is representative of what we have had

:23:52. > :23:57.on the WPA tour because there seems to be parity, and players right

:23:58. > :24:03.beside the top 80 are thinking she has done it, what about me. We have

:24:04. > :24:10.seen players like Kerber, through at 28, another theme, and win her first

:24:11. > :24:19.major and then struggle with expectations and then lose the next

:24:20. > :24:28.three or four matches. Other players lost their first and one here, but

:24:29. > :24:33.Serena has been so consistent. We have to go back to another era word

:24:34. > :24:38.you could bank on them getting to the quarters, whereas this era it is

:24:39. > :24:47.different. They have terrific results, even Halep and a two-time

:24:48. > :24:53.champion here, I thought she would go on and be number one in the world

:24:54. > :24:57.she has had major debts. When you think about how to build up the

:24:58. > :25:03.matches, Lindsay, Tracey and I said we had to relive the best match of

:25:04. > :25:17.the season so far. Enjoy it again. We are on for a shock here on Court

:25:18. > :25:21.three. Dominika Cibulkova takes the first set.

:25:22. > :25:34.Wide. And we are back with a real contest here.

:25:35. > :25:48.That was phenomenal. Lie down, why don't you? Who can blame her?

:25:49. > :26:08.Third time lucky. The pocket rocket, the route to the Wimbledon

:26:09. > :26:13.quarterfinal. I thought it was great yesterday, it looks even better

:26:14. > :26:16.today. It had to end at some point because they were so physically

:26:17. > :26:24.spent, you don't have that big serve for quick points, every point was a

:26:25. > :26:29.lengthy rally and that last point, when, Nick fell down, it was 25

:26:30. > :26:34.shots, moving from side to side and her fiance, I was glad it ended

:26:35. > :26:41.because I thought he was going to have a heart attack. It was this

:26:42. > :26:52.one, the 25th shot, and they are both spent. Dominique is such a

:26:53. > :26:58.human by no that might dynamo, whereas Radwan sket is a magician.

:26:59. > :27:06.She gets everything back. It was that contrast, it was make or break.

:27:07. > :27:16.It is a sort of dying shot, the overhead in the game. Remember she

:27:17. > :27:25.had a match point, didn't get it, so huge credit for her to be resilient

:27:26. > :27:31.to come back because she had everything in that match. I always

:27:32. > :27:36.think this is the craziest touring, Monday to Tuesday, if you have a

:27:37. > :27:41.tough raft in your round of 16, Simona Halep they'd almost three

:27:42. > :27:48.hours, her up in an today Kerber played just one hour, so a big

:27:49. > :27:53.contrast in their time on court. We will see how she will respond. Elena

:27:54. > :28:01.Vesnina, she then had to played bubbles last night. She had to stop,

:28:02. > :28:06.she is coming back today so you have to keep that in mind and worry about

:28:07. > :28:11.Venus. How her body responds with short rests. We talk about how

:28:12. > :28:19.Dominika Cibulkova will recover, how well her fiance recover? He lived

:28:20. > :28:27.every point with her. Her whole camp is intense. She has been through a

:28:28. > :28:33.lot, surgery last year, she works as hard as everyone on tour and it was

:28:34. > :28:41.a big moment for all of them. She wants to cancel the wedding.

:28:42. > :28:47.Postpone it! I am so sorry, plus boat bed for a week. She said it was

:28:48. > :28:53.in the ice bath last night when she looked up and said, oh my gosh, I'm

:28:54. > :28:58.supposed to get married on Saturday, and that is when she will it make

:28:59. > :29:06.the rush and said if she won to date she would postpone it. Eg Good

:29:07. > :29:10.enough to win a Grand Slam? I don't think her game matches up well with

:29:11. > :29:16.Serena so the draw would have to work out well for her. If she

:29:17. > :29:22.doesn't get that many in, the first served can be weak, she defends well

:29:23. > :29:25.and then hits hard, then you play someone like Serena who thinks she

:29:26. > :29:32.can break every time, it puts pressure on her, she has been to a

:29:33. > :29:38.final before, she has the game but I get concerned with the serve. That

:29:39. > :29:42.is a little later but we are ready for our first match. Simona Halep

:29:43. > :29:48.having a look out on Centre Court and Angelique Kerber having a look

:29:49. > :29:51.behind her. It is run on a clockwork here, you have to wait until the

:29:52. > :29:55.clock ticks over before you walk out.

:29:56. > :30:03.That is a very difficult time to wait, because you walk down the

:30:04. > :30:08.stairway, you see the trophies and the champions, and you know it is

:30:09. > :30:14.Wimbledon, it is so elegant, so different from any other Grand

:30:15. > :30:20.Slams. This is the same court that Rod Laver has walked on and all of

:30:21. > :30:21.the others. It is one o'clock, here they come.

:30:22. > :30:41.APPLAUSE It is a shame that it's not a little

:30:42. > :30:49.busier here an Centre Court, but that won't affect the players at

:30:50. > :30:52.all. This young lady, Simona Halep, so much was expected of her a few

:30:53. > :31:01.years ago, she was moving up to the top of the rankings. Absolutely, she

:31:02. > :31:05.got to the finals of the French, and pushed Maria Sharapova to three

:31:06. > :31:10.sets, then she got to the semifinals here against Eugenie Bouchard. She

:31:11. > :31:15.doesn't have a big serve, but it is accurate, the second serve attack

:31:16. > :31:22.Kabul. She is working with Darren Cahill. -- second serve can be

:31:23. > :31:27.attacked. But this to me, this match of all of the matches today, is

:31:28. > :31:33.right at 50/ 50. This is the match that really intrigues me, because

:31:34. > :31:37.Kerber is a Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open, and Halep, a

:31:38. > :31:43.former finalist as well as the Grand Slams, so they have some experience,

:31:44. > :31:46.four and five in the world, there is just so little between them. You

:31:47. > :31:52.have to go to Court One, you are commentating on Venus Williams

:31:53. > :31:55.against Shvedova. How do you think that one will go? I think that will

:31:56. > :32:04.depend on how Venus Williams turns up physically, she has played a lot,

:32:05. > :32:07.and doubles as well. She has been brushed a few times even in the

:32:08. > :32:13.second round she had a 3-set match as well. But if Venus is feeling

:32:14. > :32:17.good, if she can keep the point is quick, the big serve and big first

:32:18. > :32:21.shot, I think she is the clear favourite. Shvedova has never been

:32:22. > :32:26.into the quarterfinals. Will it be overwhelming? I think it will be

:32:27. > :32:29.better for Shvedova that it is encore number one and not Centre

:32:30. > :32:36.Court, because Centre Court is so big. We will let you go. Angelique

:32:37. > :32:37.Kerber has come through so many big matches at Wimbledon, let's hear how

:32:38. > :32:50.she is preparing for the last eight. I am very happy about my game here

:32:51. > :32:56.in Wimbledon and also about my whole year. I won my first Grand Slam in

:32:57. > :33:01.Australia, and also here I am feeling good, and I play good tennis

:33:02. > :33:07.right now. COMMENTATOR: Brilliant!

:33:08. > :33:12.When you are growing up in Germany, was Steffi Graf the idle for you? Of

:33:13. > :33:17.course, she is still my idol, she is a champion, and when I was growing

:33:18. > :33:23.up, I was always watching a lot of matches from her, and was always

:33:24. > :33:27.dreaming to be like her. Was she a source of inspiration for you, when

:33:28. > :33:30.you became a professional, you started playing tennis for a living,

:33:31. > :33:34.was it difficult to follow in her footsteps? Of course it is

:33:35. > :33:38.difficult, because Steffi is a champion, she always won everything,

:33:39. > :33:46.so it is difficult to step in her first steps. I am happy to be the

:33:47. > :33:59.next German Grand Slam champion after her. It is tough to play like

:34:00. > :34:03.a. It is 20 years since Steffi last won Wimbledon. Have you dared to

:34:04. > :34:08.dream whether or not you might be the one to end the 20 year wait? I

:34:09. > :34:13.didn't know this, it is interesting, but maybe! I think of everything,

:34:14. > :34:24.let's see what happens here, see how far I can get, and yes, maybe I am

:34:25. > :34:32.the next one. Let's see. It must be tough for her to always be compared

:34:33. > :34:37.to Steffi! Yes, all the German tennis players after Steffi Graf,

:34:38. > :34:43.Boris Becker, Michael Stich, it must be hard for them. The look on

:34:44. > :34:48.Kerber's phase when she was able to win, and a celebration when she got

:34:49. > :34:52.home, that country was happy to have a tennis champion again. And what

:34:53. > :34:57.can we expert from this match? Kerber loves to move players around,

:34:58. > :35:05.let's have a look at her match point against the Saky Dory, she was going

:35:06. > :35:11.from side to side, it was a wonderful way to finish the match.

:35:12. > :35:17.She changes direction so well, never with pace but with placement. --

:35:18. > :35:22.Doi. Nobody wants to run around that much! What a way to celebrate,

:35:23. > :35:26.because that was terrific to do that, and that is what she will be

:35:27. > :35:35.trying to do a game here. We will see great rallies. We are, two of

:35:36. > :35:40.the best players in women's ten right now, but they both play

:35:41. > :35:44.defensive tennis, so who will step up and take more chances playing

:35:45. > :35:47.offensively? Yesterday Simona Halep played one of the biggest hitters in

:35:48. > :35:52.Madison Keys, and she spent the majority of the time well behind the

:35:53. > :35:58.baseline just reacting. 24 hours later, much less pace of the shots

:35:59. > :36:07.of Angie Kerber. And as we look at Simona Halep Mushy almost prefers to

:36:08. > :36:12.play big hitters -- she almost prefers to play big hitters so she

:36:13. > :36:16.can absorb the pace. One thing Kerber does well is short little

:36:17. > :36:20.slices into the court, not at odds of Spain, they stay pretty slow.

:36:21. > :36:26.Hallett will have to get into the court pretty fast. She hasn't lost a

:36:27. > :36:32.set, the only player in this tournament to go through, then I

:36:33. > :36:36.start to worry about Kerber more. Absolutely. They had an epic match

:36:37. > :36:42.in Canada last year, 6-4 in the third. We could be in for another

:36:43. > :36:45.like that. Absolutely. I have to work the points, and these two will

:36:46. > :36:48.work the points, there will be very few rallies under four or five

:36:49. > :36:54.shots, it will all be about the stamina, placement of all the shop.

:36:55. > :37:01.There is Angelique Kerber an Centre Court facing Halep, and Tracy is on

:37:02. > :37:05.her way to Court Number One to go to see Venus Williams, because she will

:37:06. > :37:08.be walking out to play Shvedova. It is a big moment for her, back in the

:37:09. > :37:14.big-time, back the Wimbledon quarterfinals. She has worked so

:37:15. > :37:18.hard, she loves playing at Wimbledon, and here she comes out on

:37:19. > :37:22.Court Number One. Venus Williams at the age of 36, just proving it

:37:23. > :37:26.doesn't matter, experience really does count, and she is still fully

:37:27. > :37:32.fit, although that strapping on the leg which she has had for some time

:37:33. > :37:37.is always a worry. It is, and it is always a worry to have back-to-back

:37:38. > :37:50.days. It was a worry as well when she played

:37:51. > :37:58.against Suarez Navarro. We have to scamper out of Centre Court now.

:37:59. > :38:10.Lindsay is on her way to join Jonathan Overend.

:38:11. > :38:13.JONATHAN OVEREND: The 28-year-old from Germany is at the far end to

:38:14. > :38:43.start. This has been billed by many as the

:38:44. > :39:39.match for today, really. We could be in for a treat.

:39:40. > :39:46.Excellent second serve from Kerber, and a love service hold. One of

:39:47. > :39:50.three Grand Slam champions in the final eight this year, and here we

:39:51. > :39:56.are an quarterfinals day in the Women's Singles, Kerber a member of

:39:57. > :40:00.that elite band, the Williams sisters of course, but Kerber

:40:01. > :40:03.winning her first in Melbourne at the start of the year. It was a

:40:04. > :40:10.surprise when she beat Serena in the final. Some fabulous tennis.

:40:11. > :40:30.UMPIRE: Missed Simona Halep to serve.

:40:31. > :40:41.LINDSAY DAVENPORT: a nice start for her, both players will have to work

:40:42. > :40:46.extremely hard on their service games, not a lot of free points to

:40:47. > :41:21.be won from either player. It is really more about the placement.

:41:22. > :41:29.That is a tentative start from Halep at the far end. She had some chances

:41:30. > :41:33.early on that rally, decided to push the ball back in play, and on grass,

:41:34. > :41:56.if you get an opportunity, you have to try to take advantage.

:41:57. > :42:04.That's better. A few more forceful shots inside the baseline from

:42:05. > :42:05.Halep. She is going to have to find that mix of defence and offence

:42:06. > :42:37.today. That was a great angle from Kerber

:42:38. > :42:54.there, the left-hander. Tipuric two has actually played

:42:55. > :43:03.three fellow left-handers out of her four opponents. -- Kerber has

:43:04. > :43:21.played. That is unusual. It really is.

:43:22. > :43:27.A lot of statistics we start looking at in the second week of Wimbledon,

:43:28. > :43:30.but one of the most surprising ones to me of all the women

:43:31. > :43:36.quarterfinalists is Angelique Kerber has only been broken three times.

:43:37. > :43:42.That is quite an effort. Her serve is not one of the strong parts of

:43:43. > :44:58.her game. And after those early nerves, really

:44:59. > :45:06.important for Halep to hit that back. As Lindsay says, unusual for

:45:07. > :45:11.the Kerber serve to be broken. And doubly so, Hallett has broken it to

:45:12. > :45:17.love. She has been around the top of the game now, Simona Halep, a few

:45:18. > :45:23.years, very much on the rise in the last few years or so. French Open

:45:24. > :45:28.runner-up two years ago. Did reach the Wimbledon semifinals as well.

:45:29. > :45:33.She lost to Eugenie Bouchard. But yet to win a major championship like

:45:34. > :45:36.her opponent today. Do you feel it is only a matter of time, Lindsey?

:45:37. > :45:42.Does she have the talent? Absolutely. Does she have the mind

:45:43. > :45:47.and the belief, that is really the questions we have been asking. If

:45:48. > :45:52.you had told me after that wonderful French Open, especially the final,

:45:53. > :45:58.that she lost a Sharapova, that she wouldn't really be close, except she

:45:59. > :46:01.reached the semifinal here immediately after, I would have been

:46:02. > :46:08.surprised, but it has taken her transition time to get used to being

:46:09. > :46:12.a favourite. Her ranking has improved for the last eight years,

:46:13. > :46:19.she finished last season as the world number two. So there is only

:46:20. > :46:41.one way to go from there! The sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal today.

:46:42. > :46:46.There is no question she is one of the fittest players out there, she

:46:47. > :46:51.works incredibly hard and it's so fast around the court. It is just

:46:52. > :46:55.the expectation. We have seen it get to her. In some of the bigger

:46:56. > :48:16.matches she has played. Oh, it is a wonderful rally! One of

:48:17. > :48:23.those where you are absolutely desperate for it to end on a winner,

:48:24. > :48:32.but what recovery skills from Kerber at the far end initially. Two of the

:48:33. > :48:36.best athletes, two of the best movers. You could see it all unfold

:48:37. > :49:40.in just one point. Remarkable. Yet to hold serve, facing another

:49:41. > :50:25.break point here. APPLAUSE

:50:26. > :50:30.Well, this isn't bad! What fantastic tennis to start this quarterfinals

:50:31. > :50:33.day here in the Wimbledon sunshine. We have had three games against the

:50:34. > :50:39.serve, but it doesn't get much better. Absolutely, some of the

:50:40. > :50:43.highest quality we have seen off the ground, with the movement, the shot

:50:44. > :50:59.selection, impressive soft from both early on.

:51:00. > :51:05.Halep knows what she's doing with those drop shots, but it is an

:51:06. > :51:10.illustration of Kerber's speed and tenacity on the court. They both

:51:11. > :51:25.cover the court so well, great anticipation.

:51:26. > :51:32.This is going to be a match that sees a lot of rakes of serve, both

:51:33. > :51:34.of these players have excellent returns, they both struggle to win

:51:35. > :52:05.easy free points with her serve. Well, that is two easy forehands

:52:06. > :52:08.this game that Kerber has missed, and those are the types of mistakes

:52:09. > :52:53.that she wants to eliminate from the game today, already five.

:52:54. > :53:01.Once again, we find ourselves back on serve, with four breaks from the

:53:02. > :53:05.first five games. It is a peculiar start in that respect, we have

:53:06. > :53:12.already had some excellent tennis. As Lindsay says, don't expect serve

:53:13. > :53:15.to dominate out here today. Kerber had only been broken three times

:53:16. > :53:18.coming into this match, already twice today, and she will have to be

:53:19. > :53:19.a little bit better with where she places her serve, doesn't want to be

:53:20. > :53:33.too predictable. Through this tournament, she has

:53:34. > :53:37.been getting her second serve interplay, but she has been

:53:38. > :53:43.consistent. That is an incredibly high number of points won on the

:53:44. > :53:46.second serve, 63%. I have a feeling that those statistics will change

:53:47. > :53:51.drastically, win or lose, after today's match. All those figures are

:53:52. > :53:59.better than when she won the Australian Open. And this is an

:54:00. > :54:03.illustration of her second serve, she gets it into the backhand side.

:54:04. > :54:09.For the most part, they are just that middle part of the box, almost

:54:10. > :55:12.always directed to be Halep backhand.

:55:13. > :55:20.That is the slight element of surprise that Halep possesses down

:55:21. > :55:25.the line there are. That is a big weapon of hers, and she wasn't able

:55:26. > :55:47.to do it much yesterday with a heavy power of Madison Keys coming at her.

:55:48. > :55:58.She will have more time today and she will need to use that shot. Drop

:55:59. > :56:03.shots on both sides of the court today. This is perfect, back-spin,

:56:04. > :56:12.barely over the net, bounces backwards, and she set it up while I

:56:13. > :56:14.hitting a few deep shots. If Simona Halep cannot get to a drop shot, you

:56:15. > :56:34.know it is a good one. The depth that Kerber is able to

:56:35. > :56:40.entertain from defensive positions. And already today she is getting so

:56:41. > :56:41.close to the baseline. Whether she is changing direction or hitting a

:56:42. > :56:53.setup shot. That has been the biggest difference

:56:54. > :57:20.so far, the links she is getting on her ground strokes.

:57:21. > :57:30.Yet another break. It could be that Kerber's opening game, the one she

:57:31. > :57:38.held to love, will be the deciding one in this set! Which sometimes

:57:39. > :57:40.means it is a really, but you couldn't say that about this. -- a

:57:41. > :58:00.really messy match. It is just that these are not the

:58:01. > :58:02.two most powerful serves on the women's tour by any stretch of the

:58:03. > :58:23.imagination. We saw her miss a couple of easy

:58:24. > :58:28.forehand is in her last service game to get broken. She has to be more

:58:29. > :59:05.careful with that shot in her service games.

:59:06. > :59:18.Kerber is just being so smart about when she goes for the drop shot,

:59:19. > :59:19.very aware of where Hallett is in the court, and very aware of her own

:59:20. > :59:57.court positioning. One of the great Wimbledon rallies

:59:58. > :00:05.of this tournament so far. You can only watch and admire. The tenacity

:00:06. > :00:10.of Halep at the back. It's been a highlight reel, some of these

:00:11. > :00:15.points, the movement, Kerber head about two or three shots that would

:00:16. > :00:24.have been a winner against just about everyone else. She is so far

:00:25. > :00:37.out of the court on that shot, she was almost in with our cameraman.

:00:38. > :00:41.Kerber not sure about the call on the line but it will have to stand

:00:42. > :00:55.now, and we are back on serve. I'm not sure that matters, but very

:00:56. > :01:01.entertaining on Centre Court and we will be back with that. We will keep

:01:02. > :01:10.an eye on the other quarterfinal, Williams against Cibulkova, their

:01:11. > :01:20.first ever meeting -- but it is life on the red button. Now, fire, jury

:01:21. > :01:27.of Selly got a second break in this third and final set, he will want to

:01:28. > :01:31.be getting this over quickly so he can prepare for a quarterfinal.

:01:32. > :01:33.Whoever wins this will have to prepare for the quarterfinal. Back

:01:34. > :01:45.we go to Centre Court. JONATHAN OVEREND: Simona Halep has

:01:46. > :01:51.really put in a shift so far at the back of the court. If you early

:01:52. > :01:55.nerves, no doubt about that, desperately trying to win points on

:01:56. > :02:06.her serve, let alone games on her serve. Hasn't held so far, the

:02:07. > :02:11.Romanian. Can she do it here? Eight patchy record at Wimbledon over the

:02:12. > :02:40.years. Didn't make the semis here two years ago.

:02:41. > :02:50.A fantastic job setting this point up by Kerber. Inside the baseline,

:02:51. > :03:02.taking a chance with that I can. -- backhand. Simona Halep has won just

:03:03. > :03:03.four out of her 18 service points so far in this first set. Really

:03:04. > :03:22.struggling. Now she's rushing, just to be a bad

:03:23. > :04:07.habit of hers when things aren't going well.

:04:08. > :04:18.First Hawk-Eye intervention of this quarterfinal. A long wait away from

:04:19. > :04:48.it. On tarmac Miss Kerber has two challenges remaining.

:04:49. > :05:03.Oh! She took it early. And I don't think she can quite believe what has

:05:04. > :05:09.happened there. Set up for her, but again it is a mess and again it is a

:05:10. > :05:17.break, four times out of four, Simona Halep's serve has been broken

:05:18. > :05:18.in this first set. The Australian Open champion from Germany has a

:05:19. > :05:46.chance to serve for the set. Kerber has to try to find a way out

:05:47. > :06:11.of hitting too many balls to Halep. She has missed the few easy ones.

:06:12. > :06:26.That's the angle! Hardly any margin for error on the shot. Wake up in

:06:27. > :07:18.the service box. Kerber could be in trouble as this

:07:19. > :07:23.match goes on, Aichi grounds that into the ground strokes of Halep in

:07:24. > :07:25.the backend, but it is not in her comfort sewn to go to the forehand

:07:26. > :07:50.with the serve. Both these players have a chance of

:07:51. > :07:55.being the world number two at the end of this tournament, a edition

:07:56. > :08:02.which is changed 19 times since arena return to number one in 2013,

:08:03. > :08:08.but there is a scenario where Kerber could be world number one if Serena

:08:09. > :08:16.Williams loses today and goes on to win the title, she would hold two of

:08:17. > :08:24.the four major championships. There is her coach in the white there. And

:08:25. > :08:32.the captain for Germany, who also spends quite a bit of time with

:08:33. > :08:36.Kerber and the other German players. King con used to work a little bit

:08:37. > :08:53.with Simona Halep's coach when he worked for the Adidas team. --

:08:54. > :08:59.Kerber used to work. What a turbulent set of tennis it has been

:09:00. > :09:11.with it breaks of serve. Is it going to settle down at all? It is the

:09:12. > :09:12.first point on her serve, she has to almost fake the confidence in her

:09:13. > :10:01.service games here. One of the best forehands Halep has

:10:02. > :10:02.hit in this match. Cut off the angle, went inside the court, stayed

:10:03. > :10:50.with it. And that will be the hardest serve

:10:51. > :10:53.that Halep has set one away. Let's see if that was in. And the return

:10:54. > :11:49.was in. It's taken her over half an hour but

:11:50. > :11:52.she got there in the end and held serve, and finding a few more

:11:53. > :12:01.piercing first deliveries in that game. Halep made more of an effort

:12:02. > :12:08.to be aggressive, after her serve, didn't have the mindset of spending

:12:09. > :12:14.it in, we saw one at 104 miles an hour, even though your game can

:12:15. > :12:19.revolve around high percentages, you still have to be more offensive

:12:20. > :13:00.minded on the surface than any other.

:13:01. > :13:07.After a set were both fears were struggling to even hold her serve,

:13:08. > :13:35.we've had to relatively easy holes in a row.

:13:36. > :13:50.Pressure on Halep to come out after the change of ends to serve to stay

:13:51. > :13:56.in the first set. Michael Parkinson to the left, watching some of his

:13:57. > :14:01.classic interviews with Muhammad Ali recently with the tributes. Sienna

:14:02. > :14:09.Miller is in the Royal box today as well. Jack Nicklaus is back, 18

:14:10. > :14:22.times major golf champion. Best seat in the house, the Royal box.

:14:23. > :14:30.Quarterfinal stage in the Women's Singles. Serena still to come, here

:14:31. > :14:36.on Centre Court, defending champion world number one. Wondering whether

:14:37. > :14:43.this year's Wimbledon will be remembered for a new star.

:14:44. > :15:33.The great offensive hits by Kerber get her out of trouble there. A few

:15:34. > :15:57.accounts on forced errors we have seen from Halep.

:15:58. > :16:07.Well, that was just a little too ambitious. I know we have managed

:16:08. > :16:10.some angles in this match so far. Halep taking off all the pace on

:16:11. > :17:04.those backhands, trying to get them short.

:17:05. > :17:09.Kerber controls in this point with her forehand, she finishes well

:17:10. > :17:48.inside the baseline. Just wide from Halep. She did well

:17:49. > :17:55.to get up to that drop shot but Kerber did damage, the sliced she

:17:56. > :18:01.was able to generate. The next wonderful drop shot, so close to the

:18:02. > :18:02.net, so much court for Halep to have to cover, she wasn't able to do

:18:03. > :18:22.there. A sad way for the set to end. Kerber

:18:23. > :18:27.is the only one of the eight on the quarterfinal date who hasn't dropped

:18:28. > :18:38.a set so far and she maintains her perfect record.

:18:39. > :18:45.And really, Lindsay, even though we have been talking about the quality

:18:46. > :18:50.of returns of both these players and the fact the servers aren't the

:18:51. > :18:54.strongest, you cannot realistically expect to have your serve broken

:18:55. > :19:01.five times out of sets and get as close as she did to winning the set.

:19:02. > :19:06.Halep will have to figure out some way to be more consistent with her

:19:07. > :19:11.service games. She got a little nervy at the end. That last double

:19:12. > :19:17.fault, it almost seemed inevitable that was coming, Kerber was putting

:19:18. > :19:21.so much pressure on Halep, every single one of her service games.

:19:22. > :19:29.Kerber has been the more offensive they are, to theirs to those play

:19:30. > :19:38.such defence, Kerber has taken more risks and it has paid off. A second

:19:39. > :19:44.point, neither player excelling in that area. A couple more winners

:19:45. > :19:55.from Kerber, she has been inside them baseline more. That has made

:19:56. > :20:04.the difference. Isn't that a picture? What a day at Wimbledon.

:20:05. > :21:17.Blue sky above, lovely to have the roof open.

:21:18. > :21:29.Already the first three points of this set, I believe that is a tactic

:21:30. > :21:30.she will try and use more. She didn't use that shot quite enough in

:21:31. > :22:28.the first. And that is beautiful from Halep, a

:22:29. > :24:03.lovely change-up. Miss Kerber challenge the call, the

:24:04. > :24:14.ball was called out. Simona Halep has had an early break point in the

:24:15. > :24:20.second set, but Kerber, thanks to Hawk-Eye, has an ace, which wins the

:24:21. > :24:24.opening game, and Halep looks distraught, look how slowly she is

:24:25. > :24:31.walking back to her chair. She made a effort to win the opening game,

:24:32. > :24:36.they said Chi has to win to stay in Wimbledon. She was using a backhand

:24:37. > :24:41.up the line more effectively. You feel that more than any game in the

:24:42. > :24:48.first set will hurt her. She changed her tax tax, was trying to be more

:24:49. > :24:55.offensive, we saw a drop shot one of the few times from Halep, still

:24:56. > :25:03.couldn't get the break. Haven't been many held servers in this match so

:25:04. > :25:07.it is important to both these players to break consistently, the

:25:08. > :25:29.serve not a weapon for either player.

:25:30. > :25:36.Kerber has continually cotton lying on her ground strokes, that has been

:25:37. > :25:40.one of the biggest reasons she is ahead in this match, so many more

:25:41. > :26:11.balls deep in the court than Halep. STUDIO: We are leaving this match on

:26:12. > :26:17.Centre Court and will head to Court Number One. It is over on ABC one,

:26:18. > :26:25.so we will be heading off to see Venus Williams in a moment, but a

:26:26. > :26:30.couple of results to bring you. A match held over from yesterday the

:26:31. > :26:35.men's fourth round, has been finished and it was won by Tomas

:26:36. > :26:42.Berdych. Three breaks of serve in that fifth set. He won against Jiri

:26:43. > :26:49.Vesely but bird excuse through to face Lucas Pouille will in the next

:26:50. > :26:56.round. That match took around for hours but this match has taken over

:26:57. > :27:05.five hours and has ended in a win for Jamie Murray and Bruno Suarez.

:27:06. > :27:14.They have defeated the 16th seeds 16-14, Jamie's coach absolutely

:27:15. > :27:19.thrilled with that, and Jamie world number one in doubles and flying

:27:20. > :27:24.here. A wonderful day for the Murray family and Andy will be on court

:27:25. > :27:30.tomorrow. So that is the scene on court 17. We are heading now to

:27:31. > :27:56.Court Number One to see Venus 5-4 up, holding well against Yaroslava.

:27:57. > :28:06.This matchup between two players who have never played each other before

:28:07. > :28:14.has been a curious affair. They have been holding well except games five

:28:15. > :28:24.and six where they changed breaks and here we are, Shvedova serving to

:28:25. > :28:30.stay in. She has still dotted. Terrific movement from Venus, and in

:28:31. > :28:37.all her time on court this week, we were wondering, whether she would be

:28:38. > :28:42.feeling too much lactic acid in her body. She is looking good. And she

:28:43. > :29:15.has set point. A great way to save it. Shvedova has

:29:16. > :29:18.had about ten enforced that side, her forehand is not as durable as

:29:19. > :29:37.the backhand for Shvedova. Venus has found it quite hard going

:29:38. > :29:41.against this Russian born player from Kazakhstan. The eighth seed

:29:42. > :30:15.here. Shvedova has saved six break points,

:30:16. > :30:18.five of the six that she has faced. She has done a good job of elevating

:30:19. > :30:38.her serve when she needs to. Oh, yes! The backhand has been

:30:39. > :30:56.spot-on with the passes today. These two certainly haven't been

:30:57. > :31:00.holding back, they have been throwing some big punches, two heavy

:31:01. > :32:02.hitters, very athletic women. The battle of the forehands! Who was

:32:03. > :32:56.going to blink first? Clearly the intent is to attack the

:32:57. > :32:58.second serve of Venus. There is a disparity in miles per hour between

:32:59. > :33:22.first and second serve for Williams. Well, the service game has been

:33:23. > :33:23.getting easier and easier for Venus Williams, and she pushes ahead once

:33:24. > :33:35.more. Venus today my turf been expecting

:33:36. > :33:44.to play -- might have been expect interplay Garbine Muguruza, instead

:33:45. > :33:45.playing somewhere she has never met before, and it is going to be a very

:33:46. > :34:06.busy afternoon for Oracene there. I wonder what she

:34:07. > :34:10.will do, Serena is second on centre. Will she stay here? That has been

:34:11. > :34:14.part of the tracking of Oracene this week, it has been interesting,

:34:15. > :34:20.because it has been a couple of times where crucial situations, she

:34:21. > :34:28.has had to choose. But she has been doing it a long time, and I'd

:34:29. > :34:29.anything even identity even she thought she would still be out here

:34:30. > :34:40.all these years later. Here she is back as a 36-year-old, a

:34:41. > :34:45.five-time former champion, extraordinary. So, Shvedova once

:34:46. > :35:17.more serving to stay in this opening set.

:35:18. > :35:21.Shvedova running around the forehand there, she likes that side but she

:35:22. > :36:13.couldn't get enough space. That is well played. Much better

:36:14. > :36:19.point construction from Shvedova there. Very handy around the

:36:20. > :36:21.forecourt, an imposing figure up there, and knows where to position

:36:22. > :36:36.herself. UMPIRE: Ms Shvedova challenges the

:36:37. > :36:54.call, the ball was called out. 15-30, Ms Shvedova has two

:36:55. > :37:17.challenges remaining. Really leaned into that high

:37:18. > :37:23.backhand. It shows Shvedova's strength above her shoulders. Venus

:37:24. > :37:24.still not completely comfortable out here, a little thrown by Shvedova's

:37:25. > :38:12.game style. Great ball striking from Shvedova. A

:38:13. > :38:29.little off-balance, but adjusted very well.

:38:30. > :38:50.Venus might just be ruling that Mr chance, a set at 5-4 by Shvedova's

:38:51. > :38:59.service game. Couldn't convert, so into the break we go. Venus has a

:39:00. > :39:09.fabulous record, has won eight out of nine, Shvedova three out of five.

:39:10. > :39:14.And Shvedova won no grass court matches coming into Wimbledon, first

:39:15. > :39:26.round and qualifying, hadn't won a main trauma that on the WTA Tour

:39:27. > :39:26.since April, and now five in a row. First Wimbledon quarterfinal,

:39:27. > :40:09.though. Williams targeting that more brittle

:40:10. > :40:47.side, the forehand side. I do wonder if Venus is feeling a

:40:48. > :40:50.little tired, she has played a lot of tennis in the last eight days,

:40:51. > :41:20.some long matches, some filled with rain delays, doubles as well.

:41:21. > :41:31.That was a change-up. Yes, Venus has been playing this last eight days,

:41:32. > :41:36.players about half her age, and I think she is quite glad to see

:41:37. > :41:40.someone at 28 down the other end, someone within a decade! She has

:41:41. > :41:50.great longevity has Williams, no signs of stopping yet.

:41:51. > :42:04.The backhand slice always effective on the approach, but accept you

:42:05. > :42:26.entered -- accent you waited on this surface, download.

:42:27. > :42:45.The points are starting to heat up now, and that is such a makeable

:42:46. > :43:27.volley, particularly for somebody like Venus.

:43:28. > :43:35.It has been a strange set, almost an hour played. Tracy, you described it

:43:36. > :43:40.as a set without any flow. It has been clunky, and just when you think

:43:41. > :43:47.it is about to ignite, it falls flat again. Yes, Venus mist that high

:43:48. > :43:56.volley that she wouldn't miss in one out of a hundred, then gets the next

:43:57. > :43:59.return in the next point. 4-2 down, though, on this court yesterday in

:44:00. > :44:03.her opening set tie-breaker with Carla Suarez Navarro. Never write

:44:04. > :45:12.off Venus. And if you are Venus, you have to

:45:13. > :45:17.realise you have been in this situation so much more frequently.

:45:18. > :45:57.This is her 35th Grand Slam quarterfinal.

:45:58. > :47:15.Just trying to bounce around now to keep those feet moving.

:47:16. > :47:25.Well, she is making everyone nervous out there. Four points in a Rover

:47:26. > :47:34.Venus, she has just played a solid four points.

:47:35. > :47:52.It's long! Never, never write off Venus Williams. She takes the

:47:53. > :48:18.opening set on the break. SUE BARKER: That will warm American

:48:19. > :48:23.hearts, a little fist pump from Tracy in the commentary box, because

:48:24. > :48:27.it is still Venus and Williams flying the Stars Stripes. Not a

:48:28. > :48:32.great day for the other American youngsters yesterday. I am just

:48:33. > :48:37.always filled with so much respect for Venus at 36 and all that she has

:48:38. > :48:43.gone through physically, and to come back out and play, she doesn't

:48:44. > :48:49.always feel rested when she wakes up, and then to have the long

:48:50. > :48:57.matches that she has had, add in doubles. Venus and Serena haven't

:48:58. > :49:02.played doubles much in the last three years, I think it was at the

:49:03. > :49:05.US Open three years ago when Venus was having a good run, and she lost

:49:06. > :49:10.a match I think ago she played the ball is late the night before. So

:49:11. > :49:16.she really has to save her energy, and she has done a really good job

:49:17. > :49:22.of just getting herself back into the top ten last year, back into the

:49:23. > :49:24.top 20 the year before, so it has been this gradual elevation back

:49:25. > :49:32.into the elite. UMPIRE: Time.

:49:33. > :49:36.Very oppressive. First serve in 70%, and she is going for that serve, it

:49:37. > :49:42.is not serve just to get the point started. And second serve points won

:49:43. > :49:43.at 60%, that is a really good number for her, because sometimes she can

:49:44. > :49:57.back off that a little too much. The experience of the five-time

:49:58. > :50:27.former champion paying off here. Shvedova with a lot of work to do.

:50:28. > :50:37.Let's see how Shvedova rebound is here, or if she can, after having

:50:38. > :50:40.that 5-2 lead, and then five unforced errors, inexperience really

:50:41. > :51:21.showing up there. Coach doesn't look too positive, dusty? -- does he?

:51:22. > :52:09.Watto return to open up sport. -- what a return to open up the court.

:52:10. > :52:17.Well, she has made some expensive errors out here.

:52:18. > :52:21.So many off that win, and it starts to get inside your head, where you

:52:22. > :52:58.doubt yourself. Venus has to make sure she gets the

:52:59. > :53:02.ratio right there, she was targeting the forehand the whole time, not a

:53:03. > :53:05.bad idea, but maybe in the next few points, send one wide to the

:53:06. > :53:26.backhand and run her to her weaker side.

:53:27. > :53:37.Oh, dear. Even though Venus hasn't played Shvedova before, Serena did

:53:38. > :53:38.in the round of 16, and I'm sure a few tips will have been passed over

:53:39. > :53:51.the cornflakes this morning! UMPIRE: Shvedova challenging the

:53:52. > :54:03.ball on the right-hand line, the ball was called out.

:54:04. > :54:08.First service. She desperately needs that break

:54:09. > :54:41.point down once more in this game. And Venus driving home the

:54:42. > :54:52.advantage, it is set and a break now.

:54:53. > :54:58.Tracy, when we sit here marvelling at Venus and what she has achieved

:54:59. > :55:03.36, that is taking away the fact that she suffers from an autoimmune

:55:04. > :55:08.deficiency, a problematic disease where at times she can hardly get

:55:09. > :55:11.out of bed, and to pick herself up from that, diagnosed four or five

:55:12. > :55:18.years ago, to regroup, even more extraordinary. Not even a team

:55:19. > :57:01.sport, individual sport, and to have to do it all on your own.

:57:02. > :57:08.I feel like this is a very important game for Venus to hold, because she

:57:09. > :57:14.was down in the tie-break, Shvedova will have been very disappointed not

:57:15. > :57:16.to have won that, and that affected her first game. Venus can put her

:57:17. > :57:41.foot down here. Not only approached to hit so early,

:57:42. > :57:44.but look how close she is to the net. Really hitting that volley so

:57:45. > :58:23.much using her legs. This was the best point of the match

:58:24. > :58:25.so far. Once again, Venus so strong behind the break point. Shvedova

:58:26. > :59:15.still has one here. Strong resilience from Tevenet two,

:59:16. > :59:16.but it would be very easy for her to disappear after losing that first

:59:17. > :00:33.set, losing the first game. Oh yes! Shvedova coming alive here.

:00:34. > :00:40.She seems to be enjoying herself. The court coverage...

:00:41. > :00:45.That is some doubles skills right there. It is not bad on the athletic

:00:46. > :02:45.front either. Brilliant one moment and then very

:02:46. > :02:47.careless the next. That is really the tale of Shvedova in this match

:02:48. > :03:03.and in her career. What a strange way to start this

:03:04. > :03:23.second set. I'm finding this match a real

:03:24. > :03:27.oddity, I cannot see where the momentum is. I feel Shvedova does

:03:28. > :03:37.not know what shocked she is going to play, stringing it together, not

:03:38. > :03:41.stringing it together -- what shot. Absolutely and when Shvedova started

:03:42. > :03:46.breaking into the women's game, people thought she was so athletic

:03:47. > :03:50.and had such a big serve that she had a great all-round game and

:03:51. > :03:56.people thought there would be more there, a very high ceiling. But it

:03:57. > :03:59.is these lapses in concentration, ebbs and flows, a great shot

:04:00. > :04:07.followed by a shop where you are scratching your head. That is where

:04:08. > :04:12.I think a really good coach, maybe it is Victor, who has worked with

:04:13. > :04:17.Halep for up short time, they could help her with game plans and being

:04:18. > :04:24.clear and concise. Most players have a hole, whether you are not quick

:04:25. > :04:29.enough, strong enough, the first server is not big enough but I think

:04:30. > :04:41.for Shvedova it is strategically, knowing her game and the game plan

:04:42. > :04:45.she has to employer matches. And she is up against someone who innately

:04:46. > :04:55.understands what she can and can't do and when to do it. Court 1 just

:04:56. > :06:10.taking a little time to settle here. There was an immediate overrule from

:06:11. > :06:12.the chair. Venus looked a little surprised because there was no

:06:13. > :06:50.question from Shvedova. Well, Williams will take it. And the

:06:51. > :06:59.former champion is pulling away now in this second set. I feel like this

:07:00. > :07:05.has been a pretty long match for only a second half, but it has not

:07:06. > :07:25.been such a physical match because the points are not long.

:07:26. > :07:30.Playing against someone like Carla Suarez Navarro yesterday would have

:07:31. > :08:24.been much more demanding for Venus with longer rallies.

:08:25. > :08:28.It has been a feature of this match, a few awkward looking shots from

:08:29. > :09:09.both women. Huge point here for Shvedova. Her

:09:10. > :09:11.time on Court One will be severely limited if she cannot get out of

:09:12. > :09:30.this game. And now it is 15-40. I think Venus

:09:31. > :09:32.has got a much better read on the Shvedova serve and Shvedova cannot

:09:33. > :10:29.out rally Venus from the baseline. And another strange thing, just

:10:30. > :10:37.watch sped over at the end of this point. -- Shvedova. She hit it and

:10:38. > :10:48.walks towards her chair. She had lost the score again.

:10:49. > :10:55.She does lose her concentration on the second time in the match, this

:10:56. > :10:59.was the woman who did not note she had won a golden set here four years

:11:00. > :11:02.ago. She won every point and was asked about it in the press

:11:03. > :11:30.conference and was very surprised because she had not realised!

:11:31. > :11:49.Miss Shvedova is challenging the call.

:11:50. > :12:25.INAUDIBLE The discussion is when the call came

:12:26. > :12:30.with the umpire saying that it came first so it ended Venus but Shvedova

:12:31. > :12:32.is saying that Venus slipped and then the call came and the ball she

:12:33. > :12:50.hit was out. It was worth a try! Just to follow along the theme where

:12:51. > :12:54.Shvedova has forgotten the score a few times, that carries through to

:12:55. > :12:57.the fact that she played without purpose because you had to see

:12:58. > :13:06.tendencies of your opponents, be able to change tactics mid-match.

:13:07. > :13:10.Miss Shvedova is challenging the call, the ball was called out.

:13:11. > :13:13.Hawk-Eye has not had a lot to do in this match but has been fired into

:13:14. > :13:44.life. Not that time. It was the wrong time to come in,

:13:45. > :13:49.she was too far behind the baseline. Venus was going to get there for

:13:50. > :13:55.sure and she had too much room to work with crosscourt. Venus is ready

:13:56. > :14:06.to finish this now. Yes, right on song. And she is leading by a set

:14:07. > :14:08.and a double break. Top right of your picture, David Witt, he likes

:14:09. > :14:24.it. He is a good man, spent a long time

:14:25. > :14:28.with Venus, former player himself. Richard is a figure we don't see

:14:29. > :14:39.these days, bad, Richard, he has a new family in Florida -- dad

:14:40. > :14:44.Richard. And David Witt is much more than a coach for Venus I think, he

:14:45. > :14:48.is like a brother figure, they have a very close relationship and the

:14:49. > :14:56.Williams entourage is very tight. It is very large, they have a good

:14:57. > :14:59.time, but... They are very loyal, the Williams sisters, to those

:15:00. > :15:06.around them. David Witt has been there for a long time. To the left

:15:07. > :15:15.in the white hat is Carlos, the agent of Venus. It is a part-time

:15:16. > :15:21.job trying to organise all the tickets and passes for those guys.

:15:22. > :15:26.It is a good problem to have. As Venus has said recently, there is

:15:27. > :15:31.still life in this cat! There certainly is. Not at her very best

:15:32. > :15:38.out here but it is not that kind of match. It is without rhythm and

:15:39. > :16:17.momentum, a little ugly at times. But Venus is getting it done.

:16:18. > :16:25.We talked earlier about how this was the 35th Grand Slam quarterfinal for

:16:26. > :16:33.Venus but she has not been in the quarter is here at Wimbledon for six

:16:34. > :17:20.years. -- quarters. The last time she was in the final was 2009.

:17:21. > :17:26.There are too many loose errors at this level. The quarter finals of a

:17:27. > :17:48.major, you have to be more consistent.

:17:49. > :17:58.Venus has broken that forehand down. It just seems like Venus is winning

:17:59. > :18:03.the majority of the baseline rallies now, picking up the Shvedova serve

:18:04. > :18:06.and reading it and also working out where she should serve to. She has

:18:07. > :18:30.been the brains of the operation out here. A little breeze picking up.

:18:31. > :18:38.That last backhand, it was very subtle but the return came at Venus

:18:39. > :18:42.quickly so she shortened her backswing and went to the slice. She

:18:43. > :18:45.realised what shot was best available to her. Shvedova serving

:18:46. > :20:12.to stay in this quarterfinal. A little bit of a lapse there. One

:20:13. > :20:33.of many that we have seen this afternoon.

:20:34. > :20:41.Venus is just looking more and more comfortable as the match wears on.

:20:42. > :20:46.Such a good sign. It feels like a long time since she was 5-2 down in

:20:47. > :20:55.the opening set tie-breaker. She has just turned on the style.

:20:56. > :20:57.Consolation game for Shvedova. But it is Venus who will serve for a

:20:58. > :21:12.place in the semis. One of my favourite quotes from the

:21:13. > :21:19.fortnight so far has been from Venus. She talked about the prospect

:21:20. > :21:24.of even thinking about getting to a final or possibly winning. You look

:21:25. > :21:27.at the drawer open now, of course Serena is the clear favourite but

:21:28. > :21:32.things are looking pretty good for Venus as well and Venus said, the

:21:33. > :21:37.first time you win, nobody picks you, the last time you win, nobody

:21:38. > :21:41.picks you so you just have to pick yourself. It sums up what she has

:21:42. > :21:46.done for the last five years since letting everybody know that she had

:21:47. > :21:50.Sjogren's syndrome. People thought that with the autoimmune situation

:21:51. > :21:54.and being so fatigued that she would not be able to play at this level

:21:55. > :21:59.and if she could not play at this level, she would not want to play.

:22:00. > :22:07.She was off the tour for a while, slowly came back a couple of years

:22:08. > :22:14.ago, top 20, top ten last year. She is going from strength to strength.

:22:15. > :22:21.There is an enormous amount of respect out here from the fans for

:22:22. > :22:23.Venus Williams on this court. She is a very special athlete. Serving now

:22:24. > :23:36.for a place in the semifinals. APPLAUSE

:23:37. > :23:47.We have not seen enough of that today. I do think that Shvedova

:23:48. > :23:52.could have tried to pick on the Williams second serve a little more.

:23:53. > :23:59.Go to the sidelines more with that return.

:24:00. > :24:06.It is a case for Shvedova of what might have been. For Venus, she has

:24:07. > :24:09.not been in a Grand Slam semifinal in just under six years, that was

:24:10. > :24:43.back at the US Open in 2010. Well, it is a long way back, two

:24:44. > :25:11.breaks. But Shvedova is still dangerous.

:25:12. > :25:15.Too many of those today for the Kazakh.

:25:16. > :26:06.CHEERING You have got to love that! She has a

:26:07. > :26:11.thoroughly enjoyed herself today. She has had a grin on her face. Do

:26:12. > :26:13.you think she knows what the score is? She doesn't have a good track

:26:14. > :26:26.record on that front! At 36, Venus still believes. Second

:26:27. > :26:57.match point. That's it! Never ever write-off

:26:58. > :27:10.Venus Williams! She is back in the semis.

:27:11. > :27:18.Venus doesn't usually show much emotion but look at that big smile.

:27:19. > :27:25.Her mum, Oracene, she must be very proud of her daughter. Mum has got

:27:26. > :27:31.to get on the move because sister Serena is warming up on Centre

:27:32. > :27:37.Court. That is where Venus will probably be soon as well. They are

:27:38. > :27:42.on their way, team Williams. Only half the day is done. She is an

:27:43. > :27:45.amazing woman with two incredible children, lots of incredible

:27:46. > :27:52.children but particularly Venus and Serena. Venus has been coming here

:27:53. > :27:56.just shy of two decades, she has won the singles title five times, the

:27:57. > :28:01.doubles numerous times, still playing doubles here and look at the

:28:02. > :28:06.excitement. This is why she plays the game, because of an event just

:28:07. > :28:10.like this, to go deep in the Grand Slams and particularly at Wimbledon

:28:11. > :28:15.where she had such an affinity and such a love. Five championships here

:28:16. > :28:20.and her game is always rewarded on this surface. She feels more

:28:21. > :28:26.confident as soon as she steps in the gates. And a wonderful

:28:27. > :28:32.tournament for Yaroslava Shvedova. Her third Grand Slam quarterfinal,

:28:33. > :28:38.her first at Wimbledon. It was a good match, not a great match.

:28:39. > :28:44.Shvedova was fun and you can feel the respect from the fans for Venus.

:28:45. > :28:49.When she came over as a 17-year-old with all the beads flying about in

:28:50. > :28:53.her hair and this huge game, nobody quite knew what to make other but

:28:54. > :29:01.they have grown to love and respect achievements. And don't bet against

:29:02. > :29:08.her being in Saturday's final. She will play the winner of Halep and

:29:09. > :29:20.Kerber. In fact, that sent a good result

:29:21. > :29:31.came in a few moments ago and it will be Angelique Kerber. -- Centre

:29:32. > :29:34.Court result. But first we can hear from Venus. Huge congratulations to

:29:35. > :29:40.the semifinal again, seven years since your last one here and six

:29:41. > :29:46.since your last Grand Slam semifinal, what are you thinking?

:29:47. > :29:50.Wow, what a tough day on the court. The first set eyes she had so many

:29:51. > :29:54.opportunities but she played so well and evenly tie-breaker it seemed

:29:55. > :29:58.like she was going to win it. I somehow walked out with the set so

:29:59. > :30:04.what date against an opponent who was just fire. What it a case of

:30:05. > :30:10.just getting the job done? I guess so. When you walk to the net as the

:30:11. > :30:14.winner, that is the goal, the dream. For her, her first quarterfinal and

:30:15. > :30:19.playing so well when it is your first time there, so much credit to

:30:20. > :30:22.her. It seems to a lot of people watching you that you are just

:30:23. > :30:26.living the moment and enjoying yourself. Would that be the way to

:30:27. > :30:35.describe how you are treating it this year? I mean, I love playing

:30:36. > :30:40.the game, I always have. It always makes it sweeter when you are

:30:41. > :30:44.winning. I can't lie about that but the wins and losses all lead to this

:30:45. > :30:54.big moment. You can't always have it. But this is an awesome day.

:30:55. > :30:59.Angelique Kerber next, does it really matter given how you are

:31:00. > :31:05.approaching it? Who your opponent is? Know because whoever it is you

:31:06. > :31:08.have to figure out how to get the ball in. We haven't played in a

:31:09. > :31:16.while but we have had some great matches will stop I would love to be

:31:17. > :31:22.walking to the final and progress made today. And the crowd seemed to

:31:23. > :31:27.be on your side all the time. Wow, you know, honestly, I felt they

:31:28. > :31:31.enjoyed all the great points. In the end she got them involved in the

:31:32. > :31:35.last game and you have got to love that. The crowds here want to be

:31:36. > :31:39.here because the ticket is so hard to get so they want to see good

:31:40. > :31:41.tennis and that is what we gave them. You most certainly did.

:31:42. > :31:52.Congratulations. SUE BARKER: What a big smile from

:31:53. > :31:55.Venus Williams and why not? A five-time jumping coming through

:31:56. > :32:02.against a difficult opponent. She has been through so much in her

:32:03. > :32:06.career with her illness, missing Wimbledon had a ranking drop. This

:32:07. > :32:10.year she has found her form and a way back into the top ten and now

:32:11. > :32:18.she is back in a Wimbledon semifinal. And the crowd rises to

:32:19. > :32:26.her, very popular, they know the journey she has been on. That is the

:32:27. > :32:27.big story out on Court Number One. Everybody enjoying the tennis and

:32:28. > :32:55.the nice weather. Vote in future Jo-Wilfried Tsonga,

:32:56. > :33:01.and Andy Murray was in action, against the Tim pitcher as Kyrgios,

:33:02. > :33:14.he had some difficult questions to answer after the match, but we can

:33:15. > :33:29.relive it. The most eagerly anticipated contest, at Wimbledon

:33:30. > :33:39.2016 so far. Challenging the call. Majestic.

:33:40. > :33:53.Kyrgios really on the ropes. Murray in cruise control. Clinical,

:33:54. > :34:01.quarterfinals. Well played. Four rounds in. Are you pleased with how

:34:02. > :34:11.the game has been progressing? Today was obviously going to be a big

:34:12. > :34:21.test, first set was tough. Nick served high 80%. First set. And to

:34:22. > :34:28.get that, it was big for me. It has been a good start, I have played

:34:29. > :34:32.well, at the important moments and it has been good. You have got a

:34:33. > :34:41.good record against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Especially good record

:34:42. > :34:45.against French players. What difficulties does he represent?

:34:46. > :34:54.Here's a good athlete, likes to come to the net, and wants to come

:34:55. > :35:04.forward. That is always top. Serves big. Big first serve. Very

:35:05. > :35:15.explosive. Winners from all over the court. Sometimes up and down. Rhythm

:35:16. > :35:22.not always there. But it is always tough. When you get surprises, at

:35:23. > :35:32.Grand Slams, with Djokovic and Wawrinka out this week, do you get

:35:33. > :35:41.ahead of yourself or is that when Lendl comes in? That is when coaches

:35:42. > :35:45.help, but I have also been on that tour for 11 years, so I know how to

:35:46. > :35:52.deal with those results. It does not affect me, yet. If I reach the

:35:53. > :35:59.final, it is different coming up against somebody different, than

:36:00. > :36:10.Novak, but at the moment it has no effect. Nick is one of the best in

:36:11. > :36:14.his bracket. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, also extremely tough, you have to

:36:15. > :36:19.concentrate on those matches. If you get distracted at this level, it can

:36:20. > :36:26.cost you. Do you feel different, when the second week begins, more

:36:27. > :36:35.difficult to relax, stress levels higher? No. The same. I normally

:36:36. > :36:44.find, if few days beforehand, it is stressful before the competition

:36:45. > :36:49.gets going, and the first couple of matches, maybe not comfortable on

:36:50. > :36:54.the court, you do not know how you are going to be hitting the ball,

:36:55. > :37:01.but then you know the level that you are going to be playing at.

:37:02. > :37:05.Pressure, coming towards the end of the tournament, budget does not

:37:06. > :37:15.change much. Thank you for your time. Good luck on Wednesday. He has

:37:16. > :37:23.been so focused, throughout these championships. Not dropping a set.

:37:24. > :37:29.He is going to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, also in his side, Berdych

:37:30. > :37:41.and Puisse. This was over on Centre Court. Kerber, the world number

:37:42. > :37:48.four, defeating Halep, straight sets. 13 breaks of serve! Just

:37:49. > :37:55.wonderful defensive play from both. Super rallies. Kerber, who won the

:37:56. > :38:01.Australian Open, despite having a dip since then, looked back to her

:38:02. > :38:17.best, deleted to be through to the semifinals. I mentioned Berdych. He

:38:18. > :38:23.was back in action, against Vesely, also from the Czech Republic, just

:38:24. > :38:32.22, but the experience told, four minutes short of four hours! And he

:38:33. > :38:42.will be back, tomorrow, it is a busy schedule for them, back against

:38:43. > :38:54.Pouille. And this is Jamie Murray and his partner Bruno. 16-14 in the

:38:55. > :39:03.final set! Three minutes over five hours! That as the Murray family,

:39:04. > :39:12.celebrating, and what a transformation for Jamie, number one

:39:13. > :39:18.in doubles. Also, they won the Australian Open, wonderful scenes,

:39:19. > :39:28.Encore 17. I think they have earned a rest after that. Those are the

:39:29. > :39:33.results, from earlier today. But it is ladies' quarterfinals, we are

:39:34. > :39:45.going to go back to Court Number One, for Cibulkova, against Vesnina.

:39:46. > :40:03.She has certainly got a game. Powerful here they come. Big day.

:40:04. > :40:15.They had difficult time. Cibulkova, it was difficult against Radwanska,

:40:16. > :40:23.but also, Vesnina was taken to three sets, against Makarova. Cibulkova,

:40:24. > :40:24.one at Eastbourne, nine match streak, one of the characters of the

:40:25. > :40:50.competition. Phenomenal. Third time lucky! Pocket

:40:51. > :41:00.rocket through to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Are you aware how big

:41:01. > :41:09.it is when you're in that moment? Of course, you are playing, so I was

:41:10. > :41:12.aware, it is getting tough physically, after Eastbourne, to get

:41:13. > :41:17.to the second week of the Grand Slam, it is with tough physically

:41:18. > :41:23.and mentally. I always thought that physically, I was going 100%, and

:41:24. > :41:34.that I could not give more. This is a Shakespeare quote. Though she be

:41:35. > :41:44.but little, she is fierce. I have to compensate for the height. Fight for

:41:45. > :41:50.every point. And I am improving my game. The serve. This was something

:41:51. > :42:04.I always had problems with, but it can be something that I can now rely

:42:05. > :42:09.on. The British public, taken you to their hearts. Not just because of

:42:10. > :42:14.how you have been playing, but because of your on court manner.

:42:15. > :42:32.That is important to me, I am really happy that they like that, standing

:42:33. > :42:41.behind me. L love a trier. Certainly this is an important match, also for

:42:42. > :42:49.her life, if she wins today she would have the Osborne are waiting,

:42:50. > :42:59.on Saturday, up against Vesnina today. We can join the commentators,

:43:00. > :43:07.Annabel and Nick. So much resting on this contest, not just who we are

:43:08. > :43:19.going to see in the semifinals, but her fiance, in the box, and hundreds

:43:20. > :43:23.of guests are going to be watching, wondering what they are going to be

:43:24. > :43:31.doing on Saturday, going to a wedding, in Bratislava, or make

:43:32. > :43:41.alternative plans! I think they are going to be hoping for alternative

:43:42. > :43:49.plans! Because this is a player who has so much heart and passion, we

:43:50. > :43:53.saw that yesterday, the marathon, she said she has never had such a

:43:54. > :44:07.physical contest. You only just need to look at the way that she has been

:44:08. > :44:15.walking around two say that she means business. This is Vesnina, the

:44:16. > :44:22.second lowest ranked, 50th in the world. 29. 11th Wimbledon. She has

:44:23. > :44:36.been coming here since 2006, finally got to the Grand Slam quarterfinal.

:44:37. > :44:46.New ground. That Wimbledon win for Vesnina seven years ago, one of half

:44:47. > :45:03.a dozen previous meetings. Umpire from France. Who is to play Venus in

:45:04. > :45:26.the semis? Cibulkova won the toss and serves first.

:45:27. > :45:43.27-year-old Slovakian. 19 years old. In calling -- equalling the best run

:45:44. > :45:54.five years ago. Deleted by Maria Sharapova, then.

:45:55. > :46:04.Just losing control, on a couple of the backhands already. Choosing to

:46:05. > :46:12.go centre of the box. I am sure they are both going to try to shake out

:46:13. > :46:24.lactic acid building up in the legs after those marathons yesterday!

:46:25. > :46:29.Force somebody so small, 5'3, Cibulkova has such a slow,

:46:30. > :46:34.deliberate build-up, to the service motion, but she has got to get that

:46:35. > :46:56.to perfection, to have an impact at the other end.

:46:57. > :47:05.Alternative sound effects from either side of the net... Vesnina

:47:06. > :47:47.always sounds like she's saying hiya! Wave back at her?

:47:48. > :47:52.One thing Dominika does so effectively, body weight behind the

:47:53. > :47:58.ball. Got that this opening service game, she has been late with

:47:59. > :48:19.backhands. That as a purposeful march. Bundle

:48:20. > :48:24.of energy. Makes up for lack of inches. 5'3. Like a boxer entering

:48:25. > :48:46.the ring. Non stop. Clever serve. Swinging to the body.

:48:47. > :48:53.Short reply. Perhaps not enough with the forehand. And it is never good,

:48:54. > :49:17.when your opponent gets a net cord like that.

:49:18. > :49:28.This is going to be an intense battle, from the back of the court.

:49:29. > :49:32.Two strong minds. Neither willing to give an inch on the baseline. They

:49:33. > :50:13.are going to try to stay as close as they can.

:50:14. > :50:22.It is a lovely afternoon. Not overly warm. But we have waited long

:50:23. > :50:51.enough, for a day like this. Very bright. Sun out, stronger, in

:50:52. > :51:06.the last minute. The side Cibulkova serves from is more up into that. We

:51:07. > :51:15.saw Venus making adjustments. Varying where she's serving. Keeping

:51:16. > :51:51.Vesnina guessing. Varying all the time. Into the body, down the T.

:51:52. > :52:08.Oh! That is a return and a half. Vesnina has been a fabulous doubles

:52:09. > :52:17.player, two Grand Slam titles, US Open and the French. Finals at

:52:18. > :52:24.Wimbledon, twice. Doubles players good at returning serve.

:52:25. > :52:30.Particularly under pressure. This is a marathon opening service game!

:52:31. > :53:17.Seven minutes already! Third opportunity, that she has had,

:53:18. > :53:32.to close out this game. Eight minutes now.

:53:33. > :53:48.That was a decent work-out, just one game! You were talking about how

:53:49. > :54:00.hard they had to work to get this far. Particularly, fourth round

:54:01. > :54:14.matches. That is the comparison. 16 double faults for Vesnina. High. 24

:54:15. > :54:36.aces though. Evenly matched, first serve percentage. Evenly positioned.

:54:37. > :54:57.Oh yes, made that! One benefit of being 5'3... You need to stay low on

:54:58. > :54:59.grass. Quick to the mark. Racket head up. Stays low through the

:55:00. > :55:19.swing. Nearly fell over trying to return

:55:20. > :55:50.that one! It is interesting, the morning of

:55:51. > :56:02.the final of Eastbourne, she was spending so much time, practising

:56:03. > :56:12.the return of serve, her coach was getting her a wider base to kick off

:56:13. > :56:21.from. Jump forward. Kick it out to that backhand, it is the little, she

:56:22. > :56:42.does not have the benefit, of long levers, like Venus.

:56:43. > :57:28.That is what you want. You want the short ball, attacking those corners.

:57:29. > :57:32.That is what she does. Body weight forward. That was a good service

:57:33. > :57:49.game. First bit of variation from

:57:50. > :58:00.Cibulkova whipped away. She was not afraid to come to the net, fourth

:58:01. > :58:05.round match took three hours, 9-7 final set! She was happy, moving

:58:06. > :58:12.forward, we may have two say more than that -- to see more of that

:58:13. > :58:31.today. Cibulkova, in the fourth, win

:58:32. > :58:40.against Radwanska. Many people judging that is the best women's

:58:41. > :58:47.match of the year. That is so frustrating. Best serve... Think

:58:48. > :58:48.it's an ace. Already celebrating, and got to go through everything

:58:49. > :59:23.again. We have just seen the drop shot from

:59:24. > :59:33.Cibulkova and now Vesnina, excellent control. She managed to fend off

:59:34. > :59:54.three break points, here's another three.

:59:55. > :00:10.She just about held on, first service game. Fell away worryingly,

:00:11. > :00:22.second. Just some movement, some instruction, from the coaches. Hand

:00:23. > :00:26.her fiance, bag of nerves yesterday. He was playing every point from the

:00:27. > :00:36.sidelines. Out and understand that. It is almost more painful, from the

:00:37. > :00:44.side, coaches seemed to be signalling, to get legs moving. She

:00:45. > :00:52.is almost signalling back. I am sure they have got to the hurting today.

:00:53. > :00:55.Three hour marathon. We talked about that wide stance, how much more

:00:56. > :01:06.difficult does that make it, to get those feet going? You want to push

:01:07. > :01:12.off, jump forward, when we watch Andy, one of the best with Djokovic,

:01:13. > :01:19.they time that to meet the ball out front. But also, Cibulkova has got

:01:20. > :01:24.to stay low. Bed was something that she has worked on, what, at

:01:25. > :01:35.Eastbourne. Ended up winning the title. That confidence has come to

:01:36. > :01:37.Wimbledon. But it is the opponent, Vesnina, 50th in the world, struck

:01:38. > :01:58.the first blow in this. She is serving at a very high level

:01:59. > :02:04.here. Executing the spot, getting the short reply so she can go deep

:02:05. > :02:28.into the corners after the first serve.

:02:29. > :02:42.It is the far end from us, but it looked long. However, Cibulkova is

:02:43. > :02:50.going to play one of her cards. It was a long way away. I don't know

:02:51. > :02:55.why she challenged that. Her coaching team are at her end right

:02:56. > :03:03.now, so she didn't have the benefit of a quick glance up.

:03:04. > :03:19.Cibulkova's Wimbledon history punch awaited by the best round, and here

:03:20. > :03:34.she is in a quarterfinal for the first time.

:03:35. > :03:43.She is just missing a little bit, isn't she? Hasn't come out with what

:03:44. > :03:54.you would expect, the intensity that she had from yesterday. She is a

:03:55. > :04:02.fighter, though. Looks like a change of racket is in order. She had the

:04:03. > :04:08.perfect warm up on the way here. One Eastbourne. Has won nine matches on

:04:09. > :04:14.grass this year, which is more than she has won over the last three

:04:15. > :04:20.years combined. It is a puzzling start. It is not the start we were

:04:21. > :04:26.expecting from the 19th seed. Break of serve down in this first set.

:04:27. > :05:19.Having to deal with the sunshine as she serves again.

:05:20. > :05:38.That is a statistic that tells a story. As the score does right now.

:05:39. > :05:59.At the moment, Cibulkova couldn't win a point in a raffle.

:06:00. > :06:07.That is the first in a long time. Encouragement from her future

:06:08. > :06:43.husband. Cibulkova brings so much personality

:06:44. > :06:50.out onto the court. You can really feel her presence. Even if things

:06:51. > :06:56.aren't working at the beginning, she will fight until the bitter end. You

:06:57. > :07:13.cannot be of your guard for a single second.

:07:14. > :07:29.Double break of serve. STUDIO: 4-1 up with another break.

:07:30. > :07:34.The 29-year-old, whose best position at Wimbledon was in the fourth

:07:35. > :07:39.round. We will be back with this one in a moment.

:07:40. > :07:43.We will update you with what is happening on Centre Court. Serena

:07:44. > :07:48.Williams with set point against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. That error

:07:49. > :07:58.means Serena Williams goes in front. The six time champion out in control

:07:59. > :08:04.on centre court. That was a short time ago. It is 30-15 in the opening

:08:05. > :08:07.game of the second set. That match is on BBC One. Here, we are heading

:08:08. > :08:29.back to Court number one. She had some good winds in 2016 and

:08:30. > :08:37.they add up and you bring them out onto court and you feel you have

:08:38. > :08:43.earned it. She is busy building her ranking. She ended last year outside

:08:44. > :08:48.the top 100 for the first time in a decade. Working hard this year to

:08:49. > :08:54.restore her status. She lost in the first round here 12 months ago, so

:08:55. > :08:58.these are eight points in the rankings bank right now. But look

:08:59. > :09:07.where she is on the scoreboard, 4-1, two breaks.

:09:08. > :09:15.I think she needs to try to start winning some of the longer

:09:16. > :09:21.exchanges, Cibulkova. So far in this match she has come out second best

:09:22. > :09:24.in those. If she starts winning the longer exchanges, that will start to

:09:25. > :09:48.build pressure. She needs a few more of those. That

:09:49. > :10:24.is what she is capable of. So far, has set up has done enough

:10:25. > :10:29.damage. Cibulkova not being able to do enough with the return of serve.

:10:30. > :10:32.They are landing mid-court and Vesnina is able to step in and

:10:33. > :10:56.crunch it. Very quick off the mark to get

:10:57. > :11:01.underneath the ball. The height differences on a grass court from a

:11:02. > :11:13.clay-court, it is so low, the bounce.

:11:14. > :12:39.She really uses her height so well on serve. She is a tall girl. Points

:12:40. > :12:43.one, 70 5% of them. Cibulkova will have to change that if she is to get

:12:44. > :12:57.stuck into this quarterfinal. The sun continues to shine on the

:12:58. > :13:18.Russian. Half a dozen unfurls errors in the

:13:19. > :13:23.Cibulkova game. -- unforced errors. Not matching the weather at the

:13:24. > :13:35.moment, which is beautiful. Serving to stay in this first set.

:13:36. > :13:43.I think she will be disappointed with the unforced error count. She

:13:44. > :13:50.is just missing too much out here. At the start of this match. There is

:13:51. > :14:13.then the bend she has. So often they are planted on the grass.

:14:14. > :14:31.She has had a couple of those today. Doesn't seem to be any way that

:14:32. > :15:34.Cibulkova can get her punches to hit right now.

:15:35. > :15:44.Vesnina, took the chance. And it landed in. There you can see, once

:15:45. > :15:49.again, Cibulkova with her knees on the floor, but not willing to be

:15:50. > :15:55.pushed behind the baseline. She stands up to this ball, takes it on

:15:56. > :16:05.the rise and holds her position there. She almost looks like she has

:16:06. > :16:11.springs attached to those feet. And in her knees as well, instead of

:16:12. > :16:14.ligaments. We don't have surgical proof her ligaments were taken out

:16:15. > :16:22.and replaced with springs, but that looks like what has happened. Once

:16:23. > :16:29.again, it is just too loose to get any kind of rhythm going at the

:16:30. > :16:32.moment. Not sure what has happened, but something that has caught the

:16:33. > :17:07.amusement of the crowd here. She is desperately trying to GE

:17:08. > :17:16.herself up out here. If she can, she will find a way to get the energy

:17:17. > :17:22.going and transfer that into her tennis.

:17:23. > :17:44.We talked about the fact she is a brilliant doubles player. Has Grand

:17:45. > :17:47.Slam doubles titles. It is helping her fish out some unbeatable angles

:17:48. > :18:15.right now. Been to the final here a couple of

:18:16. > :18:20.times with her partner. One she beat in the singles yesterday. That

:18:21. > :18:27.cannot have been easy, beating your doubles partner and your best mate.

:18:28. > :18:41.Determination from Dominika Cibulkova right now. Let's have a

:18:42. > :18:47.look at the first shot from Vesnina. Her service action, Annabel. What do

:18:48. > :18:53.you see here from coach's perspective? She is rocking back

:18:54. > :18:59.onto the back foot, transferring the body weight. It is a high start

:19:00. > :19:04.position with the racket and the ball. Everyone has their own style.

:19:05. > :19:12.It is an abbreviated swing on the take back. A very nice, loose wrist.

:19:13. > :19:17.She leans in on the left hip, brings the back foot up and launches

:19:18. > :19:23.herself up into that motion. Very nice pole position going into the

:19:24. > :19:28.serve and landing on the front foot inside the court. What she has often

:19:29. > :19:34.achieved with her serve out here today is the shorter ball. What you

:19:35. > :19:38.don't want is the return pushing you backwards. So you are not heading

:19:39. > :19:44.backwards into the court, you need to be going forward. She has pretty

:19:45. > :19:49.much done that out here today. She has developed so beautifully over

:19:50. > :19:55.the last decade or so. Taken her time, she is 29 years of age, but

:19:56. > :20:03.almost playing her best tennis right now. And now here with new tennis

:20:04. > :21:25.balls. The Russian, Alina Vesnina. Serving for the first set.

:21:26. > :21:35.What is says a lot. Can almost see the smoke trail behind this poor

:21:36. > :21:42.hand. Holding the body position, not being pushed too far behind the

:21:43. > :21:58.baseline and taking the ball on the rise. Two set points.

:21:59. > :22:07.That was a very ambitious second serve. Bit of stress up in the

:22:08. > :22:11.support camp. Second double fault but she still has a second set

:22:12. > :22:34.point. What a wonderful first set before

:22:35. > :22:39.the Russian. Never let Cibulkova get into any routine, any kind of

:22:40. > :22:45.rhythm. She really didn't. She came out of the blocks. They have the

:22:46. > :22:51.very long first game, but she played at a very high level. Cibulkova has

:22:52. > :22:57.left the court to go and change her outfit. Maybe she needs to wipe the

:22:58. > :23:03.slate clean. But that was an exceptional set of tennis from

:23:04. > :23:08.Vesnina. I think Cibulkova will be disappointed with the serve, it

:23:09. > :23:16.didn't do enough damage. She was a bit too loose with some of the

:23:17. > :23:23.points. Just the one ace for Vesnina. Winning a high first serve

:23:24. > :23:30.percentage. You normal thing of Cibulkova as being a very big high,

:23:31. > :23:35.strike rate with the winners. She likes to dance around the back and

:23:36. > :23:39.looking for forehands and Dominic with that side of her groundstrokes.

:23:40. > :23:44.But hasn't been able to play her best tennis, and maybe a knock-on

:23:45. > :23:50.effect from yesterday. We should get a mph on the ground shots because it

:23:51. > :23:57.looks like Vesnina is hitting it harder at the moment. We talked

:23:58. > :24:03.about the doubles experience and finding the angles. She just seems a

:24:04. > :24:07.bit sharper. She is hanging in, they haven't had many long exchanges, but

:24:08. > :24:14.if they have had any extended rallies, she is coming out on top of

:24:15. > :24:22.them. Playing at a higher intensity rate and the key is to see if she

:24:23. > :24:27.can continue. It is how long you can continue it. She is the second most

:24:28. > :24:33.famous Russian tennis player right now, Alina Vesnina. But she is the

:24:34. > :24:38.only one here right now set to fly the flag is up to Rio Olympics.

:24:39. > :24:48.Maria Sharapova is serving a two-year drugs ban. She reached the

:24:49. > :24:53.semifinals last year and Vesnina is almost emulating that. Maria

:24:54. > :24:57.Sharapova has been the missing part. She has been part of the

:24:58. > :25:06.conversation at this year's Wimbledon and has allowed the likes

:25:07. > :25:13.of Vesnina to make headlines for herself. What an opportunity she is

:25:14. > :25:17.creating. She really is and she is handling the situation extremely

:25:18. > :25:22.well. She is not overwrought being out on the show courts are to

:25:23. > :25:28.Wimbledon. She is drawing on the confidence she builds up to the

:25:29. > :25:34.cause of 2016. It is satisfying when you see the hard work paying off and

:25:35. > :25:52.coming to fruition at a Grand Slam event like this. On her way back. It

:25:53. > :25:58.is as if she runs on inexhaustible batteries at times. Maybe she has

:25:59. > :26:07.plugged in the charger. I wonder if she has put her outfits in that

:26:08. > :26:13.little wash bag. Change of kit, change of fortune. She will hope. In

:26:14. > :26:18.bright sunshine on number one Court. We're waiting for this quarterfinal

:26:19. > :26:23.to burst into life. See if Cibulkova can make it more of a contest in the

:26:24. > :27:59.second set. Hasn't won too many of those types

:28:00. > :28:01.of rallies. Desperately needs to reassert herself in this opening

:28:02. > :28:26.service game the second set. That would hurt. Because when you

:28:27. > :28:32.have played at three-hour match the day before and done a lot of

:28:33. > :28:34.running, side to side, anything up and back, using different muscles to

:28:35. > :28:58.launch yourself, it is painful. She was sitting in an ice at the

:28:59. > :29:04.yesterday evening when she decided if she won this one, Saturday's

:29:05. > :29:09.wedding would have to be postponed. The ice bath working hard to get

:29:10. > :29:23.those muscles serviceable today, but this is a struggle. Much better

:29:24. > :29:29.serve from Cibulkova. In this match, she hasn't been able to get the ball

:29:30. > :29:35.away from her opponents, Vesnina. Get her off-balance. Too many have

:29:36. > :29:40.gone into the strike zone. What you really want is the opponent to how

:29:41. > :29:44.to move their feet and be slightly off-balance and reaching for the

:29:45. > :29:50.return of serve. You don't want it when they don't have too much. If

:29:51. > :29:53.they can get their body weight behind the return, it will have so

:29:54. > :30:20.much more impact. Husband on the left, doubt on the

:30:21. > :30:24.right. That is also coach. That is brave, isn't it? I always wonder how

:30:25. > :30:42.they get that to work. Keep the stress out of family and

:30:43. > :30:54.work like that. But happens so often in tennis. Seems to work!

:30:55. > :31:09.Both will have moved to the front edge of their seats!

:31:10. > :31:26.Hasn't missed too many of those, Vesnina. Offering more hope for

:31:27. > :31:46.Cibulkova emotionally and mentally. 14-9 return and errors.

:31:47. > :31:54.Second double fault of her match. Window creaks open again for the

:31:55. > :32:15.Russian. Vesnina read that well. On her bike

:32:16. > :32:42.quickly. Gets the break. Makes that. Interesting to try to

:32:43. > :32:59.change it up. Going against her quickly. So keen to show her

:33:00. > :33:05.opponent legs are still firing. Engagement ring might offer some

:33:06. > :33:31.kind of encouragement! I saw it close up. Beautiful! Dazzler!

:33:32. > :35:19.Being played at quite a pace. 49 minutes. Already racing into the

:35:20. > :35:35.lead. Completely in command. Oh! That would have felt good. Great

:35:36. > :35:36.movement, cutting off the angle, meeting the ball out in front,

:35:37. > :35:45.taking the pace. About time she kick-started her

:35:46. > :36:39.quarter final, Cibulkova. Well played. You sense the crowd

:36:40. > :37:23.will try to lift her spirits. Needs to get on a roll.

:37:24. > :37:38.Cibulkova whacking her legs. Almost to say get these working! Feeling

:37:39. > :37:48.heavy from yesterday? Needs to try to lighten them up. That is not

:37:49. > :38:07.going to help. She got one of those, yesterday, on match point.

:38:08. > :38:13.Neither will that. Players have 20 seconds between points. I am sure

:38:14. > :38:52.that has wound her up even more. Concern on the face of the fiance.

:38:53. > :38:58.Could be starting to think that they may actually get married, on

:38:59. > :39:02.Saturday. It is starting to look like that, unless she can halt this

:39:03. > :39:42.momentum. Legs tired today. Jaded. As much as we are talking about the

:39:43. > :39:51.woes, of Cibulkova, we do not want to take anything away from Vesnina.

:39:52. > :40:05.Canny game. Must be aware the legs of Cibulkova not working. Keeping

:40:06. > :40:11.the ball in play. Making her work. You make the error, I'll get the

:40:12. > :40:19.point. That is it, using aggression, making her play the extra shot. And

:40:20. > :40:26.that is what underlines, how tough it is, at the Grand Slams, you have

:40:27. > :40:36.got to produce good tennis, over two weeks, and play consistently at such

:40:37. > :40:41.a high level, seven matches, and sometimes, rain delays, normally if

:40:42. > :40:54.it is good you would have the in between. -- day off. But Vesnina

:40:55. > :41:02.seems to have reacted better. No sign of fatigue in her legs. Both on

:41:03. > :41:10.court for three hours. Cibulkova, trying to get crossover going. I

:41:11. > :41:13.think she was looking straight at you! I to not offer any inspiration.

:41:14. > :41:48.But we will see. Cibulkova has been really busy,

:41:49. > :41:53.rebuilding ranking, dropped to 38, win at the spawn got to the top 20,

:41:54. > :41:59.and going to the top ten, after what she has done here so far. --

:42:00. > :42:10.Eastbourne. Battle of the partners won by that

:42:11. > :42:34.man! Haven't played an hour yet. You have to admire the spirit of

:42:35. > :43:38.Cibulkova, boozing around, you would not know that she was a set down.

:43:39. > :44:03.Ringing out the life, the hope. From the Slovakian. You just wonder what

:44:04. > :44:13.Cibulkova can do, she does not possess a mass of variety to change

:44:14. > :44:15.pace, rhythm, has to hope her opponent drops off and she can

:44:16. > :44:36.create doubt. That tactic has worked, swinging to

:44:37. > :45:03.the body of Vesnina and the short reply.

:45:04. > :45:14.Compiling highlights of this... Vesnina would be dominating. I do

:45:15. > :46:11.not think returns of serve get much better than that.

:46:12. > :46:19.She described the win against Radwanska as the most physically

:46:20. > :46:41.punishing, she was in tears, taken its toll here.

:46:42. > :47:25.Gone wide. Once again. Russian break point.

:47:26. > :47:35.What a difference when she gets the first serve away from Vesnina. More

:47:36. > :48:00.accurate. You hope days like today, should be

:48:01. > :48:10.celebrations of tennis, Wimbledon, both players, but this is

:48:11. > :48:22.uncomfortable watching, if you are supporting Cibulkova. You have to

:48:23. > :48:28.admire this spirit. She is still going to keep marching around,

:48:29. > :48:45.trying to get solutions, to this puzzle. What she does. What makes

:48:46. > :49:05.her such a good player to watch. She has such a good attitude. Well done!

:49:06. > :49:22.Finally. Something to feel positive about, for the current Eastbourne

:49:23. > :49:35.champion. Vesnina, took it three years ago. That peculiar serve.

:49:36. > :49:47.Flicker of hope. Been a while since the women's title has been won here

:49:48. > :49:56.by someone who won before. You would have to go back to Wales years ago,

:49:57. > :50:07.Maria Sharapova, -- 12 years ago. Birmingham. I am always amazed about

:50:08. > :50:18.that. 80s, 90s, Martina, whoever. Doing those grass court events,

:50:19. > :50:25.Serena Williams does not play coming to Wimbledon, but that works for

:50:26. > :50:33.her, and Novak Djokovic, he has not played a warm up event. Andy has. He

:50:34. > :51:16.has got heaps of confidence. In fairness, it was too tough for

:51:17. > :51:17.him to offer a serious thought. Cibulkova took the decision. Right

:51:18. > :51:54.to. All the frustration in this backhand

:51:55. > :52:23.return. Look at that. All the pace off the serve. Body weight forward.

:52:24. > :52:39.You feel more tension in this match. Vesnina can see the finishing line.

:52:40. > :52:46.New ground for her. Quarter final. Brink of a semi. Suddenly, finding

:52:47. > :53:35.another gear. Not that time. Vesnina getting more

:53:36. > :53:46.animated. She knows this is teetering on the brink. Won't want

:53:47. > :53:52.to let the door open again. Insurance policy of two breaks.

:53:53. > :54:43.Muted response to that going long! Ball was called in... Out. Are you

:54:44. > :54:59.sure!? At the end, second serve. Trying to keep focused.

:55:00. > :55:18.Oh! The sound of the The Slovakian key in the ignition? It just feels,

:55:19. > :55:29.as though we are getting some momentum shift. The intensity,

:55:30. > :55:30.ramping up. The enormity of what Vesnina is on the brink of...

:55:31. > :55:46.Playing its part. That would allow felt good. Not

:55:47. > :55:52.playing out a long rally. You just feel that she has been pulling back,

:55:53. > :56:16.from those ground strokes, not as much impact.

:56:17. > :56:37.Gone long! The reaction of a team on the brink of a Wimbledon semi final.

:56:38. > :56:43.She has been to finals, of Grand Slams before, but that was the

:56:44. > :56:50.doubles, never on her own. A game away. Cibulkova, serving to stay in

:56:51. > :58:42.this year's Wimbledon. These last shots of Slovakian

:58:43. > :58:51.defiance... Or the start of something significant? Vesnina still

:58:52. > :59:01.has two breaks of serve. But it has been much better, from the 19th

:59:02. > :59:07.seed. If she is feeling weary, shaking off tired muscles. She never

:59:08. > :59:11.leaves court without giving everything that she can, trying to

:59:12. > :59:21.get herself involved in this tennis match. That was a good start. And I

:59:22. > :59:28.thought the forehand was flowing better, move cover, controlling,

:59:29. > :59:35.finding gaps, and you just sense that Vesnina was feeling somewhat

:59:36. > :59:50.ancient, trying to close out out the match. Might not be long. Before

:59:51. > :00:03.Serena Williams finds out who she is going to play, Thursday's semi.

:00:04. > :00:11.She has seen off Pavlyuchenkova, may not be far from meeting a novel --

:00:12. > :00:32.another Russian. She has got it! They are the kind of

:00:33. > :00:38.shots that earn you a place in the semifinal of a Grand Slam. Inspired

:00:39. > :00:43.play from Vesnina. Anticipate that, holds the body position and finds

:00:44. > :00:46.the line. Mickey could see the look on Cibulkova's face when she let

:00:47. > :00:55.that one go past her. You just feel that she can do no

:00:56. > :01:31.wrong out here. What moments these are for Elena

:01:32. > :01:52.Vesnina. Three match points for a place in the Wimbledon semifinals.

:01:53. > :02:02.The images she will remember for the rest of her life. Dominika

:02:03. > :02:06.Cibulkova, can be a bride on Saturday now. She won't be a

:02:07. > :02:15.Wimbledon semifinalist. That honour goes to the Russian. Ranked 50th in

:02:16. > :02:30.the world. But she is in the last four of the Grand Slam. What a

:02:31. > :02:35.performance that was from Elena Vesnina. Just seeing the ball the

:02:36. > :02:41.size of a football. Brought it out on this Court Number One today.

:02:42. > :02:43.Everything was flowing, she was hitting the ground strokes

:02:44. > :02:51.beautifully. She served so effectively. Really dictated the

:02:52. > :02:56.play. Lovely to see Dominika Cibulkova smiling. It has been an

:02:57. > :03:05.excellent grass court season for her and now she can go and get married.

:03:06. > :03:10.The next time we see her walking as purposely as that, she will be

:03:11. > :03:15.walking down the aisle. She has lit up this year's championships. Has

:03:16. > :03:20.been one of the great stories, but would she, wouldn't she say I do on

:03:21. > :03:24.Saturday. All of those guests thinking about having to reschedule

:03:25. > :03:37.flights, rebook their hotel rooms, can go ahead as planned. Vesnina's

:03:38. > :03:43.coach and her dad, can now think about having another day here at

:03:44. > :03:47.Wimbledon and a date with Serena Williams in the semifinals. The

:03:48. > :03:52.inevitable question, does Vesnina have anything that might ruffle the

:03:53. > :04:00.feathers of Serena Williams? She certainly has a lot of confidence.

:04:01. > :04:06.STUDIO: Very one-sided match. We will hear from Elena Vesnina later

:04:07. > :04:19.in the afternoon. We will head over to Centre Court now to see what will

:04:20. > :04:24.be a very popular doubles match. It features the Bryan brothers. Let's

:04:25. > :04:26.join it with Peter Fleming and Chris Bradnam. COMMENTATOR: The most

:04:27. > :04:45.successful combination. Have completed the set of winning

:04:46. > :04:52.all four Grand Slams. They talked about that a lot coming into this

:04:53. > :05:01.year's Championships. Radek Stepanek, 37 years old. 18 doubles

:05:02. > :05:08.titles including two Grand Slams in doubles. The Australian in 2012.

:05:09. > :05:18.They beat the Bryan brothers in the final. Stopping them from doing the

:05:19. > :05:32.calendar Grand Slam. So there's quite a between Radek Stepanek and

:05:33. > :05:34.the Bryan brothers. Zimonjic, he is the oldest man on court, 40 years

:05:35. > :05:52.old. There were about three years when

:05:53. > :05:58.Zimonjic and his other partner were unbeatable. Didn't have the

:05:59. > :06:04.chemistry to maintain the partnership. Chemistry is the main

:06:05. > :06:12.component of a successful doubles team. No surprise the identical

:06:13. > :06:22.twins would have such a long and illustrious career. Jack Nicholas,

:06:23. > :06:29.enjoying his day out. Do you think he is sitting up in the stands

:06:30. > :06:40.watching the Bryans going, miss it, miss it! I doubt it. Tiger Woods, I

:06:41. > :06:46.wonder if he will win another major. The roof is open, been a super day

:06:47. > :06:56.at Wimbledon. Has been dry. Commentators around the world thank

:06:57. > :07:03.the Bryans, Mike has a right hand, Bob is left-handed. But that is the

:07:04. > :07:13.only way you can tell them apart. It used to be Bob beads, because he

:07:14. > :07:23.used to wear them and M mole because he had a mark. But then he had the

:07:24. > :07:37.mole removed and Bob doesn't wear the beads any more. Bob Ryan to

:07:38. > :07:42.begin. Bob Bryan has one of the game's best serves. Very rarely will

:07:43. > :08:46.he be broken. Very impressive love game to start

:08:47. > :08:53.with. In a minute. It is a Roger Federer special.

:08:54. > :09:06.People have come back in but this doubles. They don't get as many

:09:07. > :09:24.spectators on the regular tour. This will be a highly entertaining match.

:09:25. > :09:32.If there are any tennis fans here, real tennis fans, they will relish

:09:33. > :09:38.the prospect of this much. All of them are great doubles players. Of

:09:39. > :09:49.course, doubles is the game most people play around the country.

:09:50. > :10:33.It is interesting, most left-handed, right-handed combinations play with

:10:34. > :10:41.the right-handed player in the deuce court. That is what they did to

:10:42. > :10:47.moderate success. As soon as they switched, they took off. It means

:10:48. > :10:54.that Bob is sometimes vulnerable in the deuce court to the slice out

:10:55. > :11:08.wide. His backhand return is not quite as good as his forehand. But

:11:09. > :11:11.Mike being the more solid return puts more pressure on the big

:11:12. > :11:39.points. Comfortable hold each. You don't

:11:40. > :11:47.want to be the weak link on serve. You don't want to be the one the

:11:48. > :11:50.players think, that is the one to break. You want to hold your opening

:11:51. > :12:23.service game. He has a sleeve on his arm. Nice to

:12:24. > :12:30.see they are not wearing those horrific types they were wearing in

:12:31. > :12:38.Paris. You look at their legs, they are pretty white. They said it was

:12:39. > :12:44.to keep warm, such has been the summer here so far. They were

:12:45. > :12:46.planning on wearing the white ones here. Even they couldn't stomach the

:12:47. > :13:11.thought, they look so horrific. That is the real danger. When

:13:12. > :13:23.serving to Radek Stepanek. He can return it with interest.

:13:24. > :13:45.How good is that? So quick. Look at the smiles. Good reaction. And then

:13:46. > :13:59.he knew the last thing the brothers were expecting was for him to cross.

:14:00. > :14:12.As you get little bit older, the legs don't work quite as well, but

:14:13. > :14:18.the hands still do and the eyes are still good. So all four of these

:14:19. > :14:24.guys will be very adept at picking balls off quickly at the net. We

:14:25. > :14:28.will see several exchanges where the balls are rat tat tat, quickly back

:14:29. > :14:37.and forth. You won't hear four times. Has doubles changed much? It

:14:38. > :14:45.has changed a bit. Back in the day, I was a power player, much the way

:14:46. > :14:49.these guys are, but there were also lots of finesse players as well.

:14:50. > :14:55.John McEnroe, probably the greatest finesse doubles player, hit a lot of

:14:56. > :15:05.chips and dinks and carved people up. The equipment, as it is now, it

:15:06. > :15:13.is much more difficult to play in that style. You have to be

:15:14. > :15:21.exceptional. So most of the play is just room, boom.

:15:22. > :15:31.With the occasional beautiful touch. Exactly right. This was a special

:15:32. > :15:36.volley from Mike Bryan. He couldn't hit it hard. It would go wide. But

:15:37. > :16:26.needed also to be an acute angle. So low over the net, including the

:16:27. > :16:49.returns. Fully focused. Three break points.

:16:50. > :16:55.Interesting, Mike Bryan saying sorry, Bob. Yet the shot he hit was

:16:56. > :17:28.a pretty good one. Just outfoxed. First break of the match. Beaten in

:17:29. > :17:34.the third round in the French between these pairs. The first time

:17:35. > :17:42.Radek Stepanek and Zimonjic got together. Wimbledon, the only Grand

:17:43. > :17:50.Slam with five sets. The rain interrupted the first week. First

:17:51. > :17:56.call for Hawk-Eye. It is a great call. Certainly worth

:17:57. > :18:41.a challenge. They are returning so well, all of

:18:42. > :18:47.them. An uncharacteristically pedestrian delivery from Bob Bryan.

:18:48. > :18:52.Only 98 miles an hour. I am sure he was hoping to get a better angle on

:18:53. > :19:41.that wall. -- ball. Break back to love. They don't look

:19:42. > :19:48.nervous at all. Just straight in with quality tennis. It has been a

:19:49. > :19:57.good start, no question about that. All four guys. They seem pretty

:19:58. > :20:02.sharp. When your collective ages 153 and they all have the experience

:20:03. > :20:09.they have, it is all about the here and now. Yes, but come on, you

:20:10. > :20:16.remember, as you get older, your body doesn't do what the mind tells

:20:17. > :20:24.it to do and you get more nervous. Just because you think, I should be

:20:25. > :20:30.doing this, but I don't think I can. Should I give it a try? I don't

:20:31. > :20:36.know. That tension makes you even slower and then things can spiral.

:20:37. > :20:41.So the good news is, it seems all four guys are feeling pretty good

:20:42. > :20:53.about their games. Family, courtside. The Bryans.

:20:54. > :21:05.They love their music, the Bryans, don't they. They have always had a

:21:06. > :21:13.gig in the village at the pub. Bob on keyboards. He was teaching his

:21:14. > :21:16.daughter, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star this week, he says. On the

:21:17. > :22:16.keyboards. So sharp. Haven't dropped points

:22:17. > :22:25.aren't serviette, Radek Stepanek. He is quite a character, isn't he? Gave

:22:26. > :22:33.Andy Murray a run for his money in the first round in the singles in

:22:34. > :22:40.the French Open. 37 years old. As fit as a fiddle. Didn't miss by

:22:41. > :22:46.much. Pretty creative attempt. You don't

:22:47. > :24:27.see that shot too often. Perhaps the mistake Rob Ryan makes

:24:28. > :24:32.here, you hit this forehand with too much power. Just doesn't have time

:24:33. > :24:39.to get back into the court. -- Bob Bryan. Take some pays off, get in

:24:40. > :25:58.position and start again. Just one from five behind the second

:25:59. > :26:23.serve, so far the Bryans. Of course, the other change on the

:26:24. > :26:33.regular tour, date and a sudden death at deuce. This is back to the

:26:34. > :26:39.old days, especially as it is the only Grand Slam but plays five sets

:26:40. > :26:49.in Men's Doubles. Perhaps from a mental perspective, it is a little

:26:50. > :26:53.more demanding. Physically, it is not going to be an issue because

:26:54. > :26:57.they are playing doubles and they are fit enough, but mentally, you

:26:58. > :27:11.can become drained having to concentrate that hard. The

:27:12. > :27:14.combination of playing deuce add and five sets, it will play a part in

:27:15. > :27:24.this match. They love this time of year, the

:27:25. > :27:30.Bryans, coming to Wimbledon. They can walk to see some sites with the

:27:31. > :27:46.families with them. Actor do some home cooking in evening. The whole

:27:47. > :27:49.tradition of it. He was quite enamoured tennis player. Has a

:27:50. > :29:00.tennis court in his backyard. Superb. Broken in his opening

:29:01. > :29:08.service game. That will feel good, he has held to love. Such fine

:29:09. > :29:13.margins between moving too early, or moving at exactly the right time.

:29:14. > :29:20.That time, Zimonjic soap Bob Bryan move out of the corner of is high

:29:21. > :29:31.and had time to change the direction of his volley. -- corner of his eye.

:29:32. > :29:38.Hand signals. Usually, he will give two signals. One will be served in

:29:39. > :29:43.this position. The second will be, I will move here, stay here, or

:29:44. > :29:52.whatever. There is the first. There is the second. So he's going right,

:29:53. > :30:33.and body serve. Shall we try and work it out?

:30:34. > :31:08.Smiles all round. Tremendous get from Bob. Thought he could maybe hit

:31:09. > :31:19.a winner. Doesn't often happen with Stepanek.

:31:20. > :31:36.Super. Pace off. Wonderful angle. Remember when he lost serve in the

:31:37. > :31:43.last game? Two serves that Stepanek rapped up the line. Neither had the

:31:44. > :32:08.acute angle that did. Since you played, communication in

:32:09. > :32:13.doubles has changed. Some of the teams, had signals, but we just

:32:14. > :32:26.talked to each other, between points. Only break point, we might

:32:27. > :32:34.converse. Go here, you do this. But on returns. Talk between points. But

:32:35. > :32:44.that was simple. You could do that, crossing paths. Stepanek, serving to

:32:45. > :33:39.stay in this set. So easy. Clearly decided early on

:33:40. > :34:15.going up the line. Hit that with authority. Difficult volley.

:34:16. > :34:27.Three service games for Stepanek and hasn't dropped a point. Cool as you

:34:28. > :35:58.like. 26 minutes. Ten games. Since Bob Bryan was broken on serve,

:35:59. > :36:10.four of the last six held to love. Rattling through. Four powerful

:36:11. > :36:13.servers. Is specially when you consider, the surface is grass. Not

:36:14. > :36:27.as erratic as clay, hard. Not easy to break. Two breaks. But commanding

:36:28. > :36:41.otherwise. 20 from 25, first serves, Bryans. Stepanek Zimonjic 11 from

:36:42. > :37:24.18. Lost four points. Five service games! Authoritarian.

:37:25. > :38:58.Bryans take the opening set in over 30 minutes. Break Zimonjic for a

:38:59. > :39:23.second time. Such an amazing team. Stalwarts for

:39:24. > :39:36.the United States, at the Davis cup. Won 25 of 29. So pivotal. John

:39:37. > :39:44.McEnroe as well. The Davis cup doubles, one chance for doubles

:39:45. > :39:52.players to shine. Vital point. No great surprise they said we're

:39:53. > :40:06.ready. Every year. Mainstay of the US team. Moments like this also are

:40:07. > :40:10.real thrills for doubles. Around the world, no place values doubles like

:40:11. > :40:36.Wimbledon. You'd have to throw the O2 in.

:40:37. > :40:49.Spectacular venue. Packed for double matches.

:40:50. > :41:06.Well played. Touch of genius here from Mike.

:41:07. > :41:54.For once, communication broke down. I think that the return was a

:41:55. > :42:31.mis-hit. Mike thought it was long. Read the situation so well. US. --

:42:32. > :42:33.yes. Skills to back it up. Serbia play GB the Friday after Wimbledon.

:42:34. > :42:44.Zimonjic is going to be part of that. Djokovic has ruled himself

:42:45. > :43:12.out. Still got a pretty strong team. No pushovers.

:43:13. > :43:29.40-0 to deuce. But good finish. In control as they were in the third

:43:30. > :43:43.round of the French against Stepanek and Zimonjic but they've gelled

:43:44. > :43:55.well. Beat Johnson and Querrey. Then the Serbians. 10-8, tight. Stepanek

:43:56. > :44:33.to serve. Not lost a point on serve yet!

:44:34. > :45:21.Probably made up his mind immediately that he was going to go

:45:22. > :45:23.up the line. Hitting that shot, dink it back low, doesn't matter if the

:45:24. > :45:39.player is crossing or staying. It is going to be a volley.

:45:40. > :46:23.First point he's lost on serve. Took some doing!

:46:24. > :46:37.Did you gel with John McEnroe straightaway? Plenty of partners

:46:38. > :46:42.before teaming up? Fifth tournament we got the final. That was when we

:46:43. > :47:33.knew. Perhaps in the corner of his eye...

:47:34. > :47:36.Saw Bob was retreating. All he had to do, easy drop shot. Maybe forced

:47:37. > :48:19.him to overhit that. Gone off the boil a little, for a

:48:20. > :49:01.fraction, Zimonjic. Sort of serve that says don't think

:49:02. > :50:24.of serving to my backhand again! That was an ambitious attempt. I

:50:25. > :50:59.think he agrees now. Would love that one back.

:51:00. > :51:22.Close to net. No follow through. Look at the racket on the ball.

:51:23. > :51:33.Almost going backwards. You have got to make contact. That is a good

:51:34. > :51:46.hold. You can follow through over the net. Remember Miami, Djokovic

:51:47. > :51:58.against Murray, Djokovic was reaching six inches over the net.

:51:59. > :52:24.Umpire snoozing. Said legal shot. Saw the replay... Faux pas.

:52:25. > :52:35.Both solid doubles player. Know where to be. And seemingly get on

:52:36. > :52:41.well. That is all that you need. Zimonjic broken twice. Bryans could

:52:42. > :52:50.think this is the chance. This game. That was so easy. Perhaps took his

:52:51. > :54:24.eye off the ball. Brilliant. Take your breath away.

:54:25. > :54:34.Interesting. Stepanek was at full stretch, looked a difficult attempt.

:54:35. > :54:44.Zimonjic had it easy. But I guess the Czech knew what he was doing.

:54:45. > :55:07.Nice to see the shadows. After rain last week.

:55:08. > :55:18.First double fault for the team. Roof has a commanding presence.

:55:19. > :56:13.Beautiful. Nicer when it's open. Nice reacton by Bob. Mis-hit. Not

:56:14. > :56:43.easy to quickly guess where the ball would be.

:56:44. > :57:00.Clean as a whistle, that ace. Fourth.

:57:01. > :57:17.None of these four guys show signs of slowing. 40, Zimonjic and the

:57:18. > :57:33.Bryans 38. Absolutely. They could have two go to the office, if they

:57:34. > :57:39.stopped this! Bryans from a -- probably not pressed for a meal! Bot

:57:40. > :57:47.that knowledge, about health, physical fitness, it is so much

:57:48. > :57:56.better, ten times greater than it was 30 years ago. We had no idea.

:57:57. > :58:09.Dark ages. Serious injury, career virtually over. Now... Not rare to

:58:10. > :58:10.see guys back from serious surgery. Still playing as well as they ever

:58:11. > :59:02.did. I think he could see Bob. Corner of

:59:03. > :59:04.his eye. Focusing on the ball, butt the bitter your referral version

:59:05. > :59:26.becomes. Stepanek has lost one point on serve

:59:27. > :59:41.in the match so far! And yet down a set. Mike serving

:59:42. > :00:44.now. Not been broken either. The discussion on whether they are

:00:45. > :00:55.going to challenge or not but they are not.

:00:56. > :01:00.Maybe the double fault coming, they are now three from 16 on the second

:01:01. > :01:15.serve. That was a great move, at some point you

:01:16. > :01:21.have to do something to put your opponent off. Radek Stepanek is in

:01:22. > :02:00.such a nice groove on the return, you need to distract him.

:02:01. > :02:17.If we talk about all their records, the match would be over, but their

:02:18. > :02:22.record here, they have not failed to make the quarterfinals at least here

:02:23. > :02:31.since 2004. That is remarkable, their consistency.

:02:32. > :02:39.Could not agree more. They are a great team. One of the all-time

:02:40. > :02:47.greats. Of course, you cannot do anything more than Pete who ever is

:02:48. > :02:54.on the other side of the net. They have done that with consistency --

:02:55. > :03:03.they cannot do anything more than beat whoever is on the other side of

:03:04. > :03:12.the net. Michael Parkinson, getting into the Royal box.

:03:13. > :05:30.That time, Stepanek perhaps caught snoozing.

:05:31. > :05:46.Locked again, second set. No breaks this set, three in the first,

:05:47. > :06:35.Zimojic twice. difficult to read, pretty quick

:06:36. > :07:18.action. It is great to see a Centre Court,

:07:19. > :07:26.many more are coming back in, we remember Fleming and McEnroe, in the

:07:27. > :07:30.evening, it was packed. When you get the top singles players playing in

:07:31. > :07:38.the doubles, it is wonderful in itself. Many might be here for the

:07:39. > :07:43.first time, autographs to be had, to watch some wonderful doubles which

:07:44. > :07:48.this certainly is. We played you in a match like this. We did, on this

:07:49. > :08:01.court. Thank you for bringing this up! Who won Others-macro that was

:08:02. > :08:07.the year that you one, in 1983. Who one?

:08:08. > :08:14.Smiles all around in the Royal box in particular. John McEnroe had his

:08:15. > :08:21.first time in the Royal box in those championships. They must have left

:08:22. > :08:29.the rules slipped! They must have tied him down! Stepanek 4-5, second

:08:30. > :08:44.set. Stepanek has lost just one point on

:08:45. > :09:05.serve. His sixth service game. 22 points

:09:06. > :09:05.won, one lost. There will be a few bruisers tomorrow amongst these

:09:06. > :09:15.players. -- bruises. Under pressure for the first time on

:09:16. > :10:21.serve, Stepanek. He disappeared for a while, but what

:10:22. > :10:32.an important point that was! Exhibit a in terms of the quick

:10:33. > :10:42.hands that all these guys possess. Three quarters serve, solid first

:10:43. > :11:17.volley. He holds. It is hard work, this watching

:11:18. > :11:24.tennis, ma'am! How is dad doing, when is he going to finish? Said he

:11:25. > :11:31.would be home early tonight! They might be. How do you think I played

:11:32. > :12:18.today, dear? I do not know, dad. He has made it! He made a lot of

:12:19. > :13:10.noise certainly. Look at that look! You cannot hit a top-spin lob any

:13:11. > :13:25.better than that, got the power on it. The ball was called in. It was

:13:26. > :13:45.challenge. Absolutely right. The serve is important, they are six

:13:46. > :14:10.from 21. Zimojic and Stepanek have two

:14:11. > :14:45.challenges remaining. Just winning those key points. All

:14:46. > :14:51.four players now are in a nice rhythm on their service, behind

:14:52. > :14:56.their service. We are not going to see many more breaks in this match,

:14:57. > :15:03.I have a feeling, we have seen three already. Might just be three more

:15:04. > :15:17.for the rest of the match, unless of course, the guys get a little tired,

:15:18. > :15:30.the serve drops off... Lots of refreshment behind.

:15:31. > :15:47.Bob was having a bit of a late lunch as well. Centre Court bathed in the

:15:48. > :15:52.evening sunshine. Zimojic has been broken twice, serving at 5-6, second

:15:53. > :16:31.set. Through the middle. Whose ball is

:16:32. > :16:37.that with the wide -ish serve? Step was covering the line much like a

:16:38. > :16:44.goalkeeper, do not let them score at the near post, so he was covering

:16:45. > :16:49.the Ali -- Stepanek. Often, I bet Stepanek would take the ball and

:16:50. > :17:01.Zimojic thought it is not really mine, whole, it is. Zimojic is in

:17:02. > :17:06.trouble, the Orions are after him. -- the Bryan brothers. There is a

:17:07. > :17:08.lot of pressure on Zimojic. The Bryan brothers will be thinking,

:17:09. > :17:21.cross for one more variable. Great time to serve a third ace. Six

:17:22. > :18:01.for the team overall. That was so close. Looked as though

:18:02. > :19:13.it would have been in if it had gone over.

:19:14. > :19:23.Fantastic. Tie-break it is. The first of the tournament for the

:19:24. > :19:27.Bryan brothers. Fourth for Zimojic and Stepanek, they are 2-1 up so far

:19:28. > :21:23.and they need this one. First serve, first volley, if you

:21:24. > :21:26.can do that the majority of the time, chances are you will hold

:21:27. > :21:37.serve with regularity. Great return. Zimonjic does the

:21:38. > :22:22.rest. Bob tried to succour him, left it

:22:23. > :22:24.wide open and sprinted towards that the last but Stepanek sussed him

:22:25. > :22:56.out. He is racking up the aces, if it

:22:57. > :23:10.has, Zimonjic. Second serve. Great challenge.

:23:11. > :23:32.The calm before the storm. That is one of the great lyrics of this

:23:33. > :23:48.court. -- lowers. -- allures. Serving from the

:23:49. > :24:20.opposite end now, Zimonjic. Another body blow. Perfect. It is,

:24:21. > :24:25.yes. Not the right head, actually the right shoulder almost, Stepanek

:24:26. > :24:32.thought he wanted to play back and volley but could not get the racquet

:24:33. > :24:43.up high enough. -- a backhand volley.

:24:44. > :25:08.Up four to 4-4. Surely they must have thought this set was over. No.

:25:09. > :25:23.He has overdone but -- overdone it, great defence from the Bryan

:25:24. > :25:50.brothers. Four points in a row. 5-4, Bryan, Bryan.

:25:51. > :26:23.Nicely played. Dead and the racquet head. Dropped it short.

:26:24. > :26:58.He knows that the volley was going along, just could not get out of the

:26:59. > :27:06.way and time. He is not seeing the funny side of it any more. It hit

:27:07. > :27:37.him in the shoulder, it was going miles

:27:38. > :27:50.long. Made the right move. Excitement on the other side. The

:27:51. > :28:32.second serve set up just enough. What a lovely touch that was. Move

:28:33. > :28:38.on. Those are the codes of Zimonjic. They are twins and their father is

:28:39. > :29:03.playing twins -- those are the children of.

:29:04. > :29:12.That is leadership, they are around Stepanek and then an ace. -- the arm

:29:13. > :30:07.around Stepanek. Third set. Two great service points from Bob,

:30:08. > :30:25.can Mike make something happen now with the return nudge --?

:30:26. > :30:47.The serving is incredible. For the last three points. For the entire

:30:48. > :30:53.match. Both teams. No one is going anywhere from this. It is a full

:30:54. > :31:54.Centre Court. Made it! What a return that is.

:31:55. > :32:54.Inspiration. Guess who is happy about that? It is

:32:55. > :33:01.one set or after an hour and 25 minutes.

:33:02. > :33:07.SUE BARKER: One set all, so it is a long way to go in this best of five

:33:08. > :33:14.set match. We will keep you up to date with it. You can follow it on

:33:15. > :33:18.the red button. We are going to take you out to court number three

:33:19. > :33:22.because the Williams sisters have had a busy day. They have both come

:33:23. > :33:27.through their quarterfinal matches and now they are on the same side of

:33:28. > :33:32.the net. They are on seeded because they do not play enough doubles to

:33:33. > :33:40.have a ranking. They are up against the sixth seeds. We can join our

:33:41. > :33:43.commentators at two games all. Your commentators are Sam Smith and David

:33:44. > :33:52.Mercer. A terrific start to the match. All

:33:53. > :33:56.five Serbs have gone with serve. It is a repeat of the 2012 Olympic

:33:57. > :34:12.final which the Williams sisters one. The the Czech Republic couple

:34:13. > :34:39.have one more of their meetings. They won the French Open in Roland

:34:40. > :34:44.Garros in Paris in 2011. They are regular doubles players. The

:34:45. > :34:50.Williams sisters do not play much these days. They are writes 251 in

:34:51. > :34:53.the world equally. That there is a small matter of the Olympic Games

:34:54. > :34:59.coming up in the not too distant future. They are the defending

:35:00. > :35:07.champions. No one else has had a look in four years with Serena and

:35:08. > :35:12.Venus winning the Olympics. Their mother is in about her sixth hour of

:35:13. > :35:16.tennis watching. At least it has been a bit more relaxed than the

:35:17. > :35:35.other days when both sisters have had long matches of three sets.

:35:36. > :35:44.I don't think anyone would begrudge their mother, if she said she wanted

:35:45. > :35:58.to go for afternoon T. But, no, she is out here.

:35:59. > :36:04.It is a beautiful, sunny late afternoon, early evening now. The

:36:05. > :36:29.shadows are lengthening all the time.

:36:30. > :36:38.It does not matter how you get the ball over the net. With the Olympics

:36:39. > :36:42.resuming, Venus and Serena have resumed their partnership. They

:36:43. > :36:44.looked decidedly rusty which is understandable. They are so much

:36:45. > :37:19.sharper at Wimbledon this year. Now it is a question of taking

:37:20. > :37:45.evasive action, backing off a bit. It might be Andrea Hlavackova taking

:37:46. > :37:49.evasive action. Lucie Hradecka is more about accuracy and placement,

:37:50. > :38:18.but her second serve can look a little fragile.

:38:19. > :38:26.The apology followed by the big smiles when you get a lucky net cord

:38:27. > :38:28.like that. This is a third round match, so playing for a place in the

:38:29. > :38:54.quarterfinals. Serena's first ace in that team

:38:55. > :39:27.total of two. Oh, yes. Lucie Hradecka is double

:39:28. > :39:30.handed off both wings. And this is the problem you have with double

:39:31. > :39:51.handers. They are very difficult to read.

:39:52. > :40:06.It would be fairly standard for Venus and Serena if they were not

:40:07. > :40:14.playing doubles to go and have a hit after their action. Personally, I

:40:15. > :40:18.think this is a much better option. Our colleague won a lot of doubles

:40:19. > :40:41.titles and he said it is much better than having a practice.

:40:42. > :40:51.I wonder who is the boss out there? I wonder who is calling for service

:40:52. > :41:00.placements? I have a feeling it might be Venus. She is the elder.

:41:01. > :41:11.Serena always refers to her as Big Sister. She pulls rank.

:41:12. > :41:18.That is Serena's second double fault. She is going very large with

:41:19. > :41:54.the second service. That was over 100 miles an hour.

:41:55. > :42:29.Of course they could be opponents in Saturday's singles final.

:42:30. > :42:45.UMPIRE: New balls, please. The fact that the sisters are out here facing

:42:46. > :42:52.a very good pair has just attracted a virtual capacity crowd to court

:42:53. > :42:55.number three. The Williams sisters were obviously given some time to

:42:56. > :43:00.recover after their singles exertions. If they come through,

:43:01. > :43:12.they get to play another doubles tomorrow because they will have a

:43:13. > :43:18.day off from the singles. Time for basking in some sunshine which has

:43:19. > :43:22.been somewhat rare this summer. It would be good to get the cords baked

:43:23. > :43:26.for the last few days of the Championships. They are still

:43:27. > :43:31.playing quite soft. Court threw probably plays more like the course

:43:32. > :43:41.used to hear 15-20 years ago. It is a new court. The bigger service of

:43:42. > :43:47.Serena prefers the court baked so it comes through hard and fast. That is

:43:48. > :43:49.the member is' restaurant in the middle and at the top is the first

:43:50. > :44:14.balcony. Gives it a smack of both wings on

:44:15. > :45:37.the ground. The view from on high. It is a nice,

:45:38. > :45:39.intimate court. The newest of the show courts. Hold up to just 2000

:45:40. > :46:08.people. Pretty aggressive around the net is

:46:09. > :46:13.Andrea Hlavackova. It is far better to go at the feet of the player at

:46:14. > :46:18.the net, rather than the body. You get less of a bruise that way. A

:46:19. > :46:28.fantastic serve. It has been really high-quality

:46:29. > :47:43.women's doubles so far. Sometimes you can be too tight on

:47:44. > :47:52.the net. Serena timed her route perfectly. You really want to go

:47:53. > :47:53.just before the strike just so they cannot change their mind at the last

:47:54. > :48:07.moment. This is some of the best serving in

:48:08. > :48:10.women's doubles I have seen in a very long time. Absolutely

:48:11. > :48:54.dominating this third round match. That time Serena moved too soon and

:48:55. > :49:01.here is the first break point of the match. This is what they have done a

:49:02. > :49:04.lot right from the start. They have taken the balls on the returns and

:49:05. > :49:35.have had a lot of shots down the line.

:49:36. > :49:50.They are in the defensive formation with both of them back.

:49:51. > :50:04.And now Lucie Hradecka moves forward for the second serve.

:50:05. > :50:10.There is no quarter being given by either side. They are not afraid to

:50:11. > :50:25.build the ball directly at their opponents.

:50:26. > :50:29.You get the sense both teams feel they have got to go hard at it and

:50:30. > :51:06.take a lot of risks out here. Oh, it is a double fault. It gifts a

:51:07. > :51:09.second break point to Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka. This

:51:10. > :51:17.is what they have got to worry about more. I would not be surprised at

:51:18. > :51:19.some point that they will have to go to the other formation, keeping it

:51:20. > :51:40.as standard. Oh, so close, but long. Again Serena

:51:41. > :52:20.moved very early and Lucie Hradecka read it.

:52:21. > :52:29.Well, to my eyes the girls are trading one or two balls across

:52:30. > :52:31.court and it is straight down the line. They know how to play the

:52:32. > :52:52.Williams sisters. Their mother is on the edge of her

:52:53. > :54:01.seat. In many ways I find women's doubles

:54:02. > :54:08.a bit more attractive than the men's. In the men's it is all a bit

:54:09. > :54:11.beef, bang, wallop. Here we are seeing heavy hitting, good play at

:54:12. > :54:21.the net and also from time to time those moments of touch and feel. I

:54:22. > :54:25.could not put it much better myself. Also in women's doubles do get teams

:54:26. > :54:35.that serve and volley, he will get teams that stay back. Do you

:54:36. > :54:38.remember Pasqua and Suarez? They played from significant metres

:54:39. > :54:42.behind the baseline and where French Open champions and were the best

:54:43. > :54:48.team in the world for a while and frustrated everyone. But what we are

:54:49. > :54:57.getting now is a lot more of the top women playing doubles, three of the

:54:58. > :55:06.four semifinalists are still alive in the doubles. And the third is

:55:07. > :55:15.Elena Vesnina. Ekatarina Makarova is a Grand Slam doubles champion.

:55:16. > :55:27.Nicolas Mahut was the last man in singles and doubles in the men's. He

:55:28. > :55:32.lost yesterday. It will be so typical of these two, having saved

:55:33. > :55:38.the break points, that they go straight out and break. The problem

:55:39. > :55:44.for the Czechs is they do not get a break of serve. They both have

:55:45. > :55:48.massive returns and they are both great at the net as well and there

:55:49. > :56:27.are no safe places when Williams and Williams are on court.

:56:28. > :56:31.Too high and too close to the centre. Easy pickings for Lucie

:56:32. > :57:13.Hradecka. What has happened here? We are going

:57:14. > :57:19.to replay the point. She is not entirely happy because that was a

:57:20. > :57:21.very acceptable second serve. The only consolation is she gets a first

:57:22. > :57:43.serve. I just wonder if they are all a

:57:44. > :57:49.little over anxious because they are all moving too early. You can drive

:57:50. > :59:09.a bus down those tramlines there is so much space!

:59:10. > :59:21.This set is like a game of dear. I will give you the line. The Williams

:59:22. > :59:26.sisters now with their first break point and it is set point. A game of

:59:27. > :00:40.dear. They must feel a little vulnerable.

:00:41. > :00:47.Serena Williams winding up the shot like this. Hradecka held her ground.

:00:48. > :00:50.It was at 85 mph, you cannot control that kind of pace however good you

:00:51. > :01:55.are at the net. Second set point. I am not surprised there is a change

:01:56. > :01:58.up here, because Hlavackova is struggling with the shot, not doing

:01:59. > :02:35.too well against either sister. It was, but by the narrowest of

:02:36. > :02:39.margins. They have three break points in the Alaska game and they

:02:40. > :03:08.face it for a third set point. The Williams get the one break down

:03:09. > :03:18.the set, that is 6-4. -- in the lass to game. SUE BARKER:, Venus and

:03:19. > :03:23.Serena are in control, taking that opening set. Let us pop back to

:03:24. > :03:29.Centre Court where the Bryan brothers have a break of serve. It

:03:30. > :03:35.is one set all in this match, they were becoming out to take a lead.

:03:36. > :03:40.That is on the red button, but we are heading back to Court number

:03:41. > :03:43.three and what a record these Williams sisters have, 11 titles

:03:44. > :03:52.between them and five times they have won the double. Back we go to

:03:53. > :03:58.court three. There are the set statistics, not a lot to choose

:03:59. > :04:05.between the two teams. The Williams sisters, highlighted statistics show

:04:06. > :04:09.where they were doing just that little bit better, each team, three

:04:10. > :04:14.break points and they are the ones who converted. Yes, the Williams

:04:15. > :04:21.sisters edged it on serve and it was always going to be tight, you would

:04:22. > :04:27.not be upset if this was a semifinal or a final. It is remarkable,

:04:28. > :04:33.particularly for the nest, back in the singles semifinal, after six

:04:34. > :04:40.years and you think her rankings slipped down, she was battling and a

:04:41. > :04:46.lot of us thought, her career may be going to fade out, a little sadly.

:04:47. > :04:52.The revival this year has been remarkable, back in the top ten, in

:04:53. > :05:01.the semi-finals. With Serena and Venus, you never know, never write

:05:02. > :05:13.them off. You need a sun hat and sunglasses today. This pays for the

:05:14. > :06:11.team. The serve is ridiculous! 160 macro

:06:12. > :06:37.I'll is per hour, perfect placement. -- 116mph. Three aces in the game.

:06:38. > :06:47.Isn't that lovely after all the rain in the first week? It is nice that

:06:48. > :06:52.we get an nice sunny last five days of the Championships. -- a nice

:06:53. > :07:04.sunny. Real test here for the Czech

:07:05. > :07:08.partnership because they played well in the first set but ended up losing

:07:09. > :07:48.it. They have to maintain that belief.

:07:49. > :07:57.Nice mix-up on serving from Hradecka, getting Serena to move

:07:58. > :08:00.away from the ball and then a little change out wide to the forehand,

:08:01. > :09:23.really has got her patterns right. So many of these errors are because

:09:24. > :09:29.it is Serena and Venus Williams. You just feel they have to do something

:09:30. > :09:30.a little extra, you can see it in the type of mistakes that they are

:09:31. > :10:36.making. Very important hold for Hlavackova

:10:37. > :10:42.and Hradecka. They are very accomplished, I remember a funny

:10:43. > :10:48.story that Lucie Hradecka said, a friend of hers but her an ironic

:10:49. > :10:58.shelf for her trophies, she left it under her bed, then she got a French

:10:59. > :11:00.Open and US Open doubles trophy. No longer an ironic shelf! She have the

:11:01. > :11:54.last laugh. -- bought her. Is that a call of, leave it? A real

:11:55. > :12:01.opening here. They have actually split the Williams app and found

:12:02. > :12:19.spaces on the court. Scruffy point there from the sisters -- up.

:12:20. > :12:51.That is one of the best feelings at Love 30. Pressure off. -- 30-0.

:12:52. > :12:57.Too much time to think about that one, but really felt that Hlavackova

:12:58. > :13:04.should have been looking to play that one out of the air. Just this

:13:05. > :13:10.matchup for these two, it makes them dealt themselves. -- makes them

:13:11. > :14:01.dealt themselves. -- doubt. David, earlier you were saying how

:14:02. > :14:06.Andrea on the left, her father is a retired master brewer and her mother

:14:07. > :14:11.is a doctor and the father of Lucie Hradecka is a shared and I was

:14:12. > :14:17.thinking at a Czech dinner party, dad does the food and the other dad

:14:18. > :14:24.provides the wine and mum can sort out any overindulgence the next day,

:14:25. > :14:32.it is a perfect combination. I was thinking of a nice steak and ale pie

:14:33. > :14:40.myself. I am not sure what the Czech equivalent is, I'm not sure if Mr

:14:41. > :14:45.Hradecka does that. That is the top of the player's balcony and that

:14:46. > :14:49.looks like Greg Rusedski on the left, it is Greg Rusedski! He has

:14:50. > :14:53.been playing in the veterans doubles today. I saw he was replaced by a

:14:54. > :15:10.four-year old at one point. He clearly was not serving properly.

:15:11. > :15:16.Matching hats and dresses, very smart ladies! Very floral!

:15:17. > :15:27.My first match today, there was a lot of hit and giggle tennis, that

:15:28. > :15:36.is the role of the veterans, as they come out to play.

:15:37. > :15:44.Not a lot of hit and giggle out here, it is more like take

:15:45. > :15:49.everyone's head off! That is how it should be in the Championship match.

:15:50. > :16:01.Must protect this particular service game.

:16:02. > :16:08.So important, isn't it, when you are the only player to be broken or you

:16:09. > :16:12.have been broken in your last service game to have a good service

:16:13. > :16:20.game straightaway or else you start to panic. Back into the normal

:16:21. > :17:34.formation now. Talking of hitting! A 40-0 lead disappears rather

:17:35. > :17:36.quickly. Very easy for a panic to certain because it is Serena's serve

:17:37. > :18:14.next. Great stuff, Serena is in defence

:18:15. > :19:19.mode. Check the checks cannot live with

:19:20. > :19:39.that. They excel oration threw the ball on

:19:40. > :19:41.the forehand is, quite remarkable. -- the excel oration through the

:19:42. > :19:53.ball. -- acceleration. Very lucky to get away with that

:19:54. > :20:19.serve on break point. She had not a clue what was

:20:20. > :20:27.happening! Serena probably wishes she had not hit it as hard. I do not

:20:28. > :20:28.think I had ever seen that. She was looking away! Nice reaction from

:20:29. > :21:58.Serena. Lovely. Finding that lovely angle, that was

:21:59. > :22:07.a tremendous hold, even if a somewhat fortuitous one.

:22:08. > :22:18.The question was argue sure? I did not hear the little leap from the

:22:19. > :22:40.trembler device -- the question was our you sure?

:22:41. > :22:49.She has had a lovely serving rhythm, has Serena. Her father Richard

:22:50. > :22:53.always wanted her to have a great serve and talk to her a lot about

:22:54. > :23:02.Pete Sampras and being as strong as that.

:23:03. > :23:08.And had heard throwing American football 's time and time again when

:23:09. > :23:13.she was a youngster to get that wonderful throwing action -- and had

:23:14. > :23:35.her throwing American footballs. The frustration of missing your

:23:36. > :24:55.first serves. That was the equivalent of posting

:24:56. > :25:00.your Christmas card today, it was so early. I think there was a mix-up in

:25:01. > :25:03.communication because Venus Williams moved so early and thought Serena

:25:04. > :25:06.would move into the space behind her and that did not happen. Break

:25:07. > :26:20.point. That is gorgeous, the way she took a

:26:21. > :26:24.little pace off, rather scarily Serena says that sometimes she

:26:25. > :26:28.throws the ball up and she has not made up her mind until here where

:26:29. > :26:33.she is going to hit the serve. How is anyone supposed to read it?

:26:34. > :27:11.Impossible. Both pairs have had a break point in

:27:12. > :27:17.the second set but still just the one break of serve in the match and

:27:18. > :27:21.between them they are producing some champagne tennis with smiles all

:27:22. > :27:26.around, yes this is serious, it is worth a lot of prize money and

:27:27. > :27:31.prestige, but it is that little bit more relaxed than the singles. Yes,

:27:32. > :27:35.and nice breather for the Williams sisters. Just wondering if they win

:27:36. > :27:42.their son have to come back tomorrow, ideally Betis Williams

:27:43. > :27:50.would have liked the day off. -- Venus Williams. I did not want

:27:51. > :27:55.today, just keep going, we do not want to lose the momentum. She would

:27:56. > :28:02.have come out for a practice section -- session, hit for about an hour.

:28:03. > :28:10.Nice evening, it is not as if they are off for the rain. Indoor courts

:28:11. > :28:45.there, that is that building. Somerset road.

:28:46. > :28:52.Just having a look at the serving stats for the Czech pair, they are

:28:53. > :28:58.just fractionally down in all categories. If they can pick up

:28:59. > :29:15.their serving, it would make a huge difference here.

:29:16. > :29:25.Good stretch, just managing to control the body just inside the

:29:26. > :29:26.baseline. They have to be so proactive, just held just long

:29:27. > :30:00.enough. It is on the serve of Hradecka. Time

:30:01. > :30:04.for a new set of tennis balls. That is one way of keeping in the shade.

:30:05. > :31:12.An expensive way! She was just off balance when she

:31:13. > :32:11.played the volley. If you have a great serve, you are

:32:12. > :32:16.always going to have a great smash. Serena just making up for a couple

:32:17. > :32:18.of missed volleys, really helping out Venus who was under pressure at

:32:19. > :33:25.15-30. A little tip for you. If you are

:33:26. > :33:29.buying tickets for the tennis, always sit in the West, then the sun

:33:30. > :33:56.is on your back and not in your eyes.

:33:57. > :34:05.Another tight service game, but again it is a hold.

:34:06. > :34:10.SUE BARKER: 4-3 in the second set and still with some work to do. We

:34:11. > :34:16.will be back with this match in a moment. Let's show you how the Bryan

:34:17. > :34:20.brothers are doing on Centre Court. They are two sets to one up and it

:34:21. > :34:27.is 3-3 and they have a break point right now. You can see that on the

:34:28. > :34:37.red button. On Court Number One the number one seeds, Herbert and

:34:38. > :34:47.Nicolas Mahut. They are two games up. They are playing against Sam

:34:48. > :34:51.Groth and Robert Lindstedt. A double fault, a broken racket and Astaire.

:34:52. > :35:01.It was the racket's fault. Let's see that again. Here he is. Do not mess

:35:02. > :35:06.with Sam. I do not know who he is staring at. I would be worried if it

:35:07. > :35:16.was me. He is really disappointed at losing that the third set. The

:35:17. > :35:20.number one seeds are two sets up. Now the pressure is once again on

:35:21. > :35:35.Andrea Hlavackova, the only player to have dropped serve in the match.

:35:36. > :35:43.It is tough on Andrea. At her best she might be able to get the speed

:35:44. > :35:47.gun at roundabout 100 miles hour. When the others are serving at 113

:35:48. > :35:57.and 114... That is superbly from Lucie

:35:58. > :36:03.Hradecka. She knows she has got to help her colleague in her service

:36:04. > :36:05.games. And also a lot of thought about where Andrea is going to serve

:36:06. > :36:28.two. And even if the I formation is not

:36:29. > :36:31.successful, you are showing that you are trying to outthink the Williams

:36:32. > :36:37.sisters, even if you cannot out power them and you are still very

:36:38. > :37:05.You cannot risk that formation for the second serve.

:37:06. > :37:14.That was a pool one by Serena. Just seeing the odd lapse in

:37:15. > :37:18.concentration from Serena in the last few games or so. It is

:37:19. > :37:24.understandable. They have both played so much tennis in the last

:37:25. > :38:20.four or five days. They are just a little weary mentally out here.

:38:21. > :39:03.Right around the side of the ball, dropping it short up the box to

:39:04. > :39:28.accentuate the angle. Just a third double fault for the

:39:29. > :39:33.Czech team. The same as the Americans. I wonder if Serena just

:39:34. > :39:46.shifts over a little towards the other tramlines to cover that, that

:39:47. > :39:51.is exactly what she has done. Not sure how you defend against these

:39:52. > :39:55.returns. They are just outstanding. This is what makes the Williams so

:39:56. > :40:11.devastating. And the Williams sisters get the

:40:12. > :40:36.crucial break. It falls to Serena to serve for the

:40:37. > :41:16.match. It must feel like the longest day of

:41:17. > :41:22.all time! She has been brilliant. She had to sprint from Court One

:41:23. > :41:37.over court at the end of Venus's match and the start of Serena's.

:41:38. > :41:42.Some of the ground strokes of Lucie Hradecka have been simply

:41:43. > :41:51.outstanding and that was another one.

:41:52. > :42:15.She is wider than the umpire's chair!

:42:16. > :42:21.She thought Venus was going to take it because of Venus did start to

:42:22. > :42:29.move for the interception and really was not ready for this. Lovely to

:42:30. > :42:42.know that the world number one can shank one from time to time.

:42:43. > :42:57.That could so easily have been a double.

:42:58. > :44:12.Well, well, well. This was not in the Williams' script.

:44:13. > :44:21.If the Czechs do go out, they cannot complain they did not have chances.

:44:22. > :44:28.All those break points and the ninth game of the first set. They have had

:44:29. > :44:39.six break points in the match and concluded none.

:44:40. > :45:34.UMPIRE: Gamers, set and match, Ms Williams, Ms Williams. What a day it

:45:35. > :45:39.has been for the Williams sisters, both through to the semifinals of

:45:40. > :45:42.the singles and now in the quarterfinals of the doubles.

:45:43. > :45:47.Somehow, I think it will be a busy day on Saturday for them when they

:45:48. > :45:54.played the ladies' singles final and the ladies' doubles final. If they

:45:55. > :45:57.make it through, they will have to play every day until then. I think

:45:58. > :46:06.they deserve to go and put their feet up. And as for the Czechs they

:46:07. > :46:16.played pretty well, but they were not good enough on the break points.

:46:17. > :46:25.The Williams sisters when it is dashed when it by two sets.

:46:26. > :46:34.SUE BARKER: What a treat for the crowd out there because that was two

:46:35. > :46:38.great champions who they normally see on Centre Court. We are heading

:46:39. > :46:45.back to Centre Court for the doubles match we were watching earlier

:46:46. > :46:56.today. A few moments ago Rabat stepper neck and Nenad Zimonjic had

:46:57. > :47:00.a chance to level it against the Bryan brothers. Daschle Radek

:47:01. > :47:10.Stepanek. Radek Stepanek is the holder of two grandstand titles.

:47:11. > :47:16.Radek Stepanek is delighted with that. The crowd are enjoying this

:47:17. > :47:22.match. That was a few moments ago. Here we go for the fifth and final

:47:23. > :47:33.set. Lest we join Peter Fleming and Chris Bradman. -- let us rejoin.

:47:34. > :47:40.The intensity that was there at the start of the match continues. Some

:47:41. > :47:49.fantastic tennis being played by all four men. I love the game from Bob

:47:50. > :47:59.Bryan to start the fifth and final set. Your thoughts, Peter? There is

:48:00. > :48:12.nothing in it really. Both teams throughout this match have only had

:48:13. > :48:19.six break points chances. The Bryan brothers have broken serve four

:48:20. > :48:24.times. The others three times. It is very fine margins. It will come down

:48:25. > :48:35.to who plays a brilliant game or a bad game. These guys have all been

:48:36. > :48:42.there before. And they are all playing well, they are all sharp.

:48:43. > :49:10.That quality is continuing. There was a big cheer from the crowd at

:49:11. > :49:16.the end of the fourth set and not necessarily cheering for Stepanek

:49:17. > :49:22.and Zimonjic. They are just delighted to get more wonderful

:49:23. > :49:43.doubles. Fifth sets are always well anticipated.

:49:44. > :50:22.Stepanek remains the only man on broken on serve. -- not broken.

:50:23. > :50:32.Inch perfect. Bob Bryan and virtually spooned the ball over the

:50:33. > :50:38.net halfway through the point. But it counts. Here are two break points

:50:39. > :51:03.against Stepanek. This is a rarity. Once again Mike Bryan miraculously

:51:04. > :51:30.returns the ball. His hands are lightning quick.

:51:31. > :51:36.Zimonjic needed all six of himself to reach that high backhand volley

:51:37. > :52:35.and get enough power on it. What a way to lose your serve for

:52:36. > :52:49.the first time in the match. Gifting the initiative to the Bryans.

:52:50. > :53:01.Stephanie looked so solid on serve. -- stepper neck.

:53:02. > :53:10.It is interesting, although Stepanek without a doubt is the best player

:53:11. > :53:11.out on the court. He is perhaps the least experienced player at this

:53:12. > :53:27.level in doubles. When I say best player perhaps I

:53:28. > :53:45.should say the best singles player. There have been a lot of body shots

:53:46. > :53:56.in this matter. There is a challenge going on.

:53:57. > :54:41.Stepanek was asking if the challenge was timely. The Bryans are saying,

:54:42. > :54:46.let's get on with the point. Just added a little bit of tension here.

:54:47. > :54:58.Left and right, left and right, catching every word.

:54:59. > :55:03.They fought with each other as kids and they do occasionally still and

:55:04. > :55:16.they are certainly fighting hard here.

:55:17. > :55:24.They have forged a 3-0 lead in this final set. It is not the first time

:55:25. > :55:32.and it will not be the last that Stepanek and a bit of spice to some

:55:33. > :55:34.matches. And the world is the better for it perhaps. Just a little more

:55:35. > :56:01.entertaining. Quite a character. And occasionally he does get under

:56:02. > :56:09.the skin of opponents, which is probably his intention, just to

:56:10. > :56:15.distract them in some way. Those players are allowed to dislike him

:56:16. > :56:20.or not. But being the great prose that they are, I seriously doubt

:56:21. > :56:27.whether the Bryans will be distracted. They have not been

:56:28. > :56:33.distracted from this match at all. They are staying until the end it

:56:34. > :57:09.seems. A must win service game, surely, for Zimonjic.

:57:10. > :57:55.Now Zimonjic is getting involved. Are you guys talking or what?

:57:56. > :58:03.Maybe he is distracted. In fact it is the Bryans who are getting under

:58:04. > :58:23.the skin of their opponents. It was not the most secure overhead

:58:24. > :58:54.he will ever hit. We have not seen too many overheads,

:58:55. > :59:07.or volleys like that go into the space. They are body shots. Just

:59:08. > :59:24.look at this. Getting in the way of a Saddam. -- all of sudden.

:59:25. > :59:29.That could have gone anywhere, but it was straight at Zimonjic, who had

:59:30. > :59:59.turned around. Got it, and an insurance point with

:00:00. > :00:05.it. I do not think I have ever seen the Bryans returned serve this well

:00:06. > :00:23.on a grass court. 76% returns in on first serve.

:00:24. > :00:32.Mike hit a volley in a middle of that rally and it appeared as though

:00:33. > :00:36.it might have gone long. Smiles all around. There has been so much to

:00:37. > :01:13.enjoy. Well done, really good hold, says

:01:14. > :01:23.the break point. -- saves the break point. Seven minutes shy of three

:01:24. > :02:24.hours, this match. It is the turn of Stepanek to react

:02:25. > :02:38.well. Could not capitalise on it. Prolonged come on on the stake. --

:02:39. > :03:21.mistake. We do not know whether Stepanek and

:03:22. > :03:26.Zimonjic will recover and make a match of this set, but as it appears

:03:27. > :03:32.now, the Bryan brothers have stolen this match basically with their

:03:33. > :03:36.attitude and aggression and body language and just how quickly they

:03:37. > :03:43.have moved and the energy is all in their favour. It started to affect

:03:44. > :03:47.these guys, they have now started walking a little slower, hanging

:03:48. > :03:52.their ahead a little bit and it appears as though this match is

:03:53. > :04:02.going one direction and one direction only.

:04:03. > :04:13.You cannot be mugs to when 111 in tournaments. You need to know

:04:14. > :04:15.something about winning. They won on this court, the Olympic gold medal

:04:16. > :04:21.in London and four years ago. Another must win service game, it is

:04:22. > :05:55.time for Stepanek, final set. No fun having to fight that sun all

:05:56. > :06:07.day long. The return did not have quite enough

:06:08. > :07:45.pace on it to fill Stepanek. It was so sharp and the return was

:07:46. > :08:14.pretty low over the net. They challenge the call on the right

:08:15. > :08:26.far sideline. The ball was called out. -- challenged. Hawk-Eye will

:08:27. > :08:41.confirm. The Bryan brothers are a game away. The Bryan brothers have

:08:42. > :08:46.not failed to make the court finals here at Wimbledon in over a decade.

:08:47. > :08:53.They seem desperate to keep that amazing consistency going. It is

:08:54. > :09:01.pretty impressive. No question about that. You can see why they have had

:09:02. > :09:09.such great consistency, because although they have played well

:09:10. > :09:16.today, the difference that was made perhaps at the start of this fifth

:09:17. > :09:23.set was momentum. They just impose themselves on the opponents, got

:09:24. > :09:30.under their skin a little bit. A little louder, a little brasher,

:09:31. > :10:44.moved a little quicker. Just bullied their way to this 5-2 lead.

:10:45. > :10:51.Ratcheting up the pressure with each return, they have returned superbly.

:10:52. > :11:10.Two points from the win. Now just one, two match points. That

:11:11. > :11:57.is for the Bryan brothers. We have seen it all now. Have you

:11:58. > :12:06.ever? What I weighed to save a break point. That volley was perfection.

:12:07. > :12:10.People are standing -- what our way. He did well just to track it down.

:12:11. > :12:26.Perfect. Still match point. The backs of the seats have been

:12:27. > :12:37.unemployed for a while. I Mayor late, first service. --

:12:38. > :13:06.UMPIRE:. He has got a permanent smile on his

:13:07. > :13:34.face. Four points in a row. The match

:13:35. > :14:22.continues. Bob Bryan has got to try and serve it out. New balls to come.

:14:23. > :14:43.Set it up beautifully. His touch fails him at the last. -- failed him

:14:44. > :15:58.Good to see the warm handshake. There are terrific record continues.

:15:59. > :16:04.What a match! What a battle. Three hours and eight minutes of top

:16:05. > :16:11.quality doubles. As usual, the Bryan brothers were superb on the volley,

:16:12. > :16:21.but more importantly, they made about 80% of their returns, which is

:16:22. > :16:27.unusually high. Even that was timed to perfection. At the end of the

:16:28. > :16:31.day, it was their attitude, there are winners mentality that got them

:16:32. > :16:36.through the match, it was a difficult ordeal. Stepanek and

:16:37. > :16:44.Zimonjic played superbly and work a real threat. -- and where a real

:16:45. > :16:53.threat. We saw how competitive the match got. They laid it all out

:16:54. > :16:57.there, those guys. They walked on together, it is really important and

:16:58. > :17:06.it is a lovely tradition here, they will walk off together. A standing

:17:07. > :17:24.ovation, rightly so for the many who stayed, for a fantastic tennis

:17:25. > :17:30.match. Who says doubles is dead? Per second tournament together, they

:17:31. > :17:38.started at the French Open and they have been beaten by the Bryan

:17:39. > :17:44.brothers again. So many have. The Bryan brothers really struggled for

:17:45. > :17:47.the last eight or nine months, Bob had a hip problem and of course he

:17:48. > :17:52.was flying back and forth from Europe to America to see his

:17:53. > :18:04.children, on a regular basis, that is debilitating. They appear to have

:18:05. > :18:10.come good, just up the right time. They could be a while, they are very

:18:11. > :18:27.popular, they reinvented doubles many years ago. The inevitable self

:18:28. > :18:41.these. -- selfies. These guys are tireless, promoters of the game.

:18:42. > :18:49.Promoters of their associates. And they have done rather well by it.

:18:50. > :18:53.Bob Bryant will go back to the house now I continue to teach his

:18:54. > :19:04.daughter. They will sleep pretty well tonight. You are amazing. I do

:19:05. > :19:12.for watching. A brilliant match to watch. I suppose they will have to

:19:13. > :19:35.come back and play a game tomorrow. -- play a game.

:19:36. > :19:47.They are thrilled, they have won the match. It took three hours and eight

:19:48. > :19:55.minutes, through to their 12 quarterfinal in a row and they are

:19:56. > :19:59.talking to Tom. Congratulations, you guys, a very competitive match, what

:20:00. > :20:06.was the turning point? We have played those guys so many times, we

:20:07. > :20:14.tried to keep our energy high. It is a lot different playing five sets.

:20:15. > :20:22.It was a mental challenge, I felt we rose to the occasion. I've know you

:20:23. > :20:28.are used to Stepanek, he likes to engage the crowd, how do you react

:20:29. > :20:32.to that? We come together. He is a character, we have played him many

:20:33. > :20:37.times before and he does everything. He Bates you, you cannot fall for

:20:38. > :20:41.it. We were jumping back and forth a little bit, it was good to get the

:20:42. > :20:46.wind, we are happy to move on tomorrow and luckily we are still

:20:47. > :20:51.going. With all that you guys achieved and all that is expected,

:20:52. > :20:57.does it get easier or harder to continue to when? It is never easy.

:20:58. > :21:02.You are on top for so many years, we fell back, we had a good spurt

:21:03. > :21:09.recently, we want to win again. It has been a while since we won Grand

:21:10. > :21:15.Slam, we are hungry, we are 38 years old, we have to spend more time in

:21:16. > :21:21.the gym, it is quite a process. Hopefully we will bounce back. It is

:21:22. > :21:27.three out of five sets, but we are ready to win. All the times you guys

:21:28. > :21:32.have stepped out on this court, what still goes through you when you make

:21:33. > :21:36.the turn around and enters Centre Court? It a special every time. We

:21:37. > :21:42.tried to soak it in, we do not know how many matches we will play, it is

:21:43. > :21:46.like a museum, the trophies, it was cool to see Jack Nicholas watching,

:21:47. > :21:52.you see a lot of celebrities, it is like a haunted house, so many

:21:53. > :21:58.legends. It is very special. Through to the fourth round,

:21:59. > :22:02.congratulations. SUE BARKER: Two of the nicest guys on tour and they

:22:03. > :22:10.have their sights on another title, they have won 16 grand slam title

:22:11. > :22:15.somewhat record, 438, they have had an incredible career and ending on

:22:16. > :22:22.the chest bump as well. Here they go, Bob soars high, Mike almost gets

:22:23. > :22:26.there, that is a ten out of ten chest bump. That is what it means to

:22:27. > :22:31.get into the quarterfinals, they are true. Talking about, Ira member when

:22:32. > :22:35.Australia were playing the Davis Cup against Great Britain, Sam Groth

:22:36. > :22:40.went to do a chest bump with Lleyton Hewitt and almost knocked him over!

:22:41. > :22:46.Talking about Sam Groth, we will see him in action, only a few minutes

:22:47. > :22:52.left here and some grass is playing with Robert Lynn 's dead up against

:22:53. > :22:54.the number one seeds from France. We can join in the fourth set and here

:22:55. > :23:20.we are. That was put down there at 87 mph.

:23:21. > :23:26.He'll most had too much time there, Sam Groth to hit that ball. This is

:23:27. > :23:28.a bit of a shaky game that the French are playing. I'm not sure he

:23:29. > :23:49.is barring on all cylinders. He has had a pretty long week

:23:50. > :24:13.already, both with the singles and doubles.

:24:14. > :24:27.Sam Graaf again with the mistake. -- his racquet certifies this time --

:24:28. > :24:39.69 macro. They are looking less than certain that they are stumbling

:24:40. > :24:40.their way to the finish line, Mahut. -- Sam Groth. They're trying to stay

:24:41. > :25:31.in this match. Was not sure if that was going in or

:25:32. > :26:42.not, hesitated. That was a fine return, leaned in on

:26:43. > :26:48.that forehand. Leaves Linstedt in all sorts of trouble here now. Court

:26:49. > :26:54.Number One comes to life, the number one seeds in the Men's Doubles with

:26:55. > :27:07.two match point for a place in the quarterfinals. Right on the line.

:27:08. > :27:43.One match point is saved. Into the net it goes and it is over,

:27:44. > :27:54.the number one seeds go through and embrace each other. Sam Groth and

:27:55. > :28:00.Linstedt are seen off in four sets, hard work at times. SUE BARKER: We

:28:01. > :28:05.just dropped in to show you the conclusion and it is the US Open

:28:06. > :28:13.champion to go through. We look ahead to tomorrow and first on

:28:14. > :28:16.Centre Court it is Roger Federer against Marin Cilic and then

:28:17. > :28:22.Jo-Wilfred Tsonga takes on Andy Murray who has yet to drop a set.

:28:23. > :28:29.That is your late afternoon and evening entertainment, Andy Murray

:28:30. > :28:36.taking on Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Sam Querrey against Milos Raonic, both

:28:37. > :28:43.playing the best tennis of their careers, then Tomas Berdych who will

:28:44. > :28:48.take on Lucas Pouille who had never won a match on grass before turning

:28:49. > :28:53.up here at Wimbledon. That is tomorrow, we are on the air from

:28:54. > :28:55.11:30am on BBC One but player is next with all the highlights from

:28:56. > :29:04.today. Goodbye. -- Claire. A CHOIR HUMS: Adagio For Strings

:29:05. > :29:08.by Samuel Barber