Five-time champion Venus Williams swept into her first Wimbledon semi-final since 2009 with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 victory over Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova on Tuesday. Aged 36, Venus is the oldest women's semi-finalist since Martina Navratilova in 1994 as she moved a step closer to a nostalgic final showdown with her sister and defending champion Serena Williams.
Venus, who won the last of her seven Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in 2008, is back in the last-four of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2010 US Open. Williams will play Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber for a place in her ninth Wimbledon final and first since 2009. Venus trails 3-2 in her five career meetings with the 28-year-old German, who won their only meeting on grass in the 2012 Olympics at Wimbledon. "Oh wow, what a tough day on the court. It seemed she was going to win the tie-break but somehow I walked out with the set," Venus said. "She was on fire, but when you can walk to the net as the winner that's the dream. "I love playing the game. When you are winning matches it makes it that much sweeter.