Serena easily ends Rodina run

Serena Williams defeated Evgeniya Rodina in emphatic fashion to surge into the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

The women's singles draw has seen a plethora of surprise results, with none of the top 10 seeds reaching the quarter-finals, a turn of events that has seen 23-time grand slam champion Williams become the favourite to win the Venus Rosewater Dish for an eighth time.

And she ensured there would not be another shock in Monday's contest on Centre Court, her seemingly unstoppable march to the final continuing with a 6-2 6-2 triumph.

Rodina knocked out Madison Keys in the third round to progress to this stage, but Williams needed just 62 minutes to end her unlikely run and will next face Camila Giorgi as she looks to win her first slam since returning to the WTA Tour following the birth of her first child.

"Whether it's Miss or Mrs Williams, it's still the same Serena"

A 13th #Wimbledon quarter-final awaits @serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/nSB06TR2eK

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2018

Rodina was very much in uncharted territory, having never previously gone beyond the second round of a slam, and it did not take long for Williams to impose her will as she raced into a 3-0 lead.

Her progress in the first set remained largely serene, though she was forced to save a break point in a gritty hold to make it 4-1 after a deep Rodina return put the Russian on the brink of getting things back on serve.

A comfortable set was wrapped up in fitting fashion as a double fault from Rodina handed Williams a break to love.

The writing was on the wall when Rodina fired a forehand long to give Williams a break for a 2-0 lead and, though she produced a stunning cross-court forehand en route to breaking Williams and gaining a glimmer of hope, that hope was brutally extinguished as the American immediately broke back to love.

That effectively marked the end of Rodina's resistance and she could not withstand the pressure from Williams as she attempted to serve to stay in the match, the favourite edging ever closer to tying Margaret Court's grand slam record.

 

 

Photo Getty Images. Caption: Serena Williams during her Wimbledon clash with Evgeniya Rodina