by Our Sports Desk

MARIA SHARAPOVA fended off US challenger Coco Vandeweghe yesterday to secure her place in the women’s semi-final at Wimbledon.

Vandeweghe has played well but was no match in the deciding set for five-time major champion Sharapova, who powered her way to a 6-3 6-7 (3/7) 6-2 victory.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been at that stage so I’m really happy with every match,” said Sharapova, preparing for her 20th grand slam semi-final.

“You have to give everything you have on a special occasion; you’re playing to be one of the last four in one of the world’s biggest tournaments.”

Sharapova served for the match in the second set, only for Vandeweghe to force and then win a tie-break and take the clash the distance.

“I was pretty dominant in the first and beginning of the second set and things slipped away a little for me in the tie-break,” said Sharapova.

“I really regrouped and obviously she was playing with a lot of confidence and had nothing to lose.

“Obviously when you’re in a position to win it, sometimes it doesn’t quite go your way and then you go back to the thing that helped you win that first set.”

The first women’s quarter-final on Court One saw Spanish-Venezuelan Garbine Muguruza deploy her super-powerful shots against Timea Bacsinszky, who couldn’t stand up to the pressure in the 7-5 6-3 defeat.

“It is just amazing. I am so happy. It was a very tough match and I am just so excited. The last game was very intense,” Muguruza told the BBC.

“It is very hard to make the last four of Wimbledon, so to achieve this I am very proud.”

Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams followed Sharapova and Vandeweghe on to Centre Court, and absolutely set it alight.

Azarenka pulled away from Williams in the first set, winning 6-3 and defying any claims that Williams could be assured a semi-final spot against Sharapova.

Spurred on by the initial setback, Williams upped her game. The pair fought over every point but Williams overcame 6-2 after the better part of an hour — finishing just before the Star went to press and confounding any predictions.

The match on Court One meanwhile was similarly tight, with Agnieszka Radwanska and Madison Keys level 6-6 (7/3) 3-6 and 5-3 by our deadline.

The matches on Court One and Centre Court followed criticism by Caroline Wozniacki that too few of the earlier women’s fixtures had been held on the two show courts.

Wozniacki went out to Muguruza — playing on Court Two — 6-4 6-4 on Monday.

“You only get one women’s match on Court One and Centre Court,” the Dane said following her defeat.

“Most of last week it was only one women’s match on Court Two as well. It’s definitely different” to the men’s scheduling, she said.

A spokesman for the All England Club declined to comment.