Serena Williams of the USA reacts after winning her Ladies' Singles quarterfinal match against Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic on day eight of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Serena Williams beat defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5 Tuesday to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the eighth time.
In a matchup of the only two previous Wimbledon champions remaining in the women’s draw, Williams saved a set point when trailing 5-4 in the second and then broke Kvitova in the next game. She served out the match with the help of three aces and a service winner.
Williams broke once in each set and finished with 13 aces and 27 winners overall.
Williams also defeated Kvitova in the 2010 semifinals en route to her fourth Wimbledon title.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
