Maria Sharapova was so close. Victoria Azarenka looked to have Serena Williams on the ropes in their Tuesday quarterfinal, a position the world No. 1 has steadily found herself in during her 26-match Grand Slam winning streak. With an Azarenka win, Sharapova would be facing a woman she’d defeated four-straight times in Thursday’s semifinal, a woman who would give her an easily defined path to just her second Wimbledon final in 11 years.
Instead, Serena Williams did what Serena Williams does. She buckled down, let out of a few screams and made that first-set deficit a distant memory by the end, rolling over Azarenka like she’s rolled over so many before, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.