Serena storms into 12th Wimbledon quarter-final

Serena Williams, an eight-time Wimbledon finalist, will play Russian 21st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the semi-finals.

Serena Williams is on course for a record-equalling 22nd major title and a seventh Wimbledon crown.

Serena Williams powered into her 12th Wimbledon quarterfinal as the defending champion celebrated American Independence Day with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Russian 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova on Monday.

World number one Williams hit 43 winners and served 14 aces as she won the last nine games on Centre Court to remain on course for a record-equalling 22nd major title and a seventh Wimbledon crown.

The 34-year-old, an eight-time Wimbledon finalist, will play Russian 21st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the semi-finals.

RADWANSKA FALLS TO CIBULKOVA

Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska lost in the fourth round, falling to Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 5-7, 9-7.

Radwanska, a finalist at the All England Club in 2012, has struggled at this year’s tournament. In the second round, she had to save three match points before beating Ana Konjuh in three sets.

She also saved match points against Cibulkova — one in the second set — and wasted a match point in the third.

The 18th-seeded Cibulkova reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals once before, in 2011. Her best result at a Grand Slam tournament came in 2014 when she reached the Australian Open final, losing to Li Na.

PAVLYUCHENKOVA IN HER FIRST WIMBLEDON QUARTERFINAL

Meanwhile, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia reached her first quarterfinal at Wimbledon, and first at any Grand Slam tournament since 2011, by eliminating CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-3 on Monday.

The 21st-seeded Pavlyuchenkova had only seven unforced errors, 15 fewer than No. 27 Vandeweghe, and broke the American five times. Vandeweghe, a 2015 quarterfinalist at the All England Club, had lost serve only twice in the first three rounds this year.

Seeking to reach her first major semifinal, Pavlyuchenkova will play either No. 1 Serena Williams or No. 13 Svetlana Kuznetsova next.

EASY OUTING FOR KERBER

Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon by beating Misaki Doi of Japan 6-3, 6-1.

Kerber, a German seeded fourth, reached the semifinals at the All England Club in 2012 and also made the quarterfinals in 2014. Last year, she lost in the third round.

Kerber won her first major title this year, beating Serena Williams in the Australian Open final. If Kerber wins the Wimbledon title and Williams fails to reach the semifinals, she would take over the No. 1 ranking.