Serena Williams defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday
Keeps alive dream of facing sister Venus in final for first time since 2009
Venus Williams saw off Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6, 6-2 on Court 1
Serena and Venus Williams remain on course for a Wimbledon final showdown after the extraordinary sisters breezed through to the semi-finals on Tuesday.
The siblings, placed on opposite sides of the draw, each won their quarter-final ties in straight sets, with Serena Williams beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4 after her older sister saw off Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6, 6-2.
It places them in the semi-finals of a Slam together for the first time since this event in 2009.
For Serena, the younger Williams at 34, the win keeps her on track for a 22nd Slam, which would tie the Open era record held by Steffi Graf.
The No 1 seed delivered her most convincing performance of the tournament so far in beating the Russian, who was seeded 23rd.
She got the decisive break at 4-4 in the first – a break to love – and made the breakthrough at the identical point in the second set.
Earlier, Venus Williams, at 36, offered glimpses of her former glories as she beat the world No 96, Shvedova. It paved her way to a first Slam semi-final since 2010.
Her charge through the draw marks a stunning return to top-level contention for the American, who won five straight points to take the opening tiebreak before dominating the second set.
She broke twice to open a 5-1 lead and served out for 6-2 after an hour and 43 minutes on Court One.
The five-time champion said: ‘'If you are Serena Williams, this happens a lot - but as Venus Williams, this is an awesome day ‘I love playing the game. When you're winning matches it makes it that much sweeter.
Williams added: ‘What a tough day on the court. The tie-breaker, it felt like she would win. I felt like my opponent was on fire.
‘I felt like the crowd enjoyed all the great points. She got them involved in the last game. We gave them good tennis.’
