y disabled list Saturday with a fractured thumb and promoted pit

LONDON -- In some ways, making it to a Grand Slam semifinal is rather been-there, done-that for Venus Williams.She is, after all, already the owner of seven major titles, including five at Wimbledon.This one, though, is different.Shes 36 now, a half-dozen years removed from her last such run. And, in the interim, she has been through the daily struggles of dealing with a disease that can sap energy and cause joint pain.Williams made it to the final four at the All England Club for the first time since 2009, and at any Grand Slam tournament since the year after that, playing mistake-free to beat Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the quarterfinals Tuesday.Semifinals feels good. But it doesnt feel foreign at all, lets put it that way, said Williams, whose first Wimbledon title came in 2000 and whose most recent came in 2008.Asked to compare her current level of play to that of the past, Williams shook her head, shut her eyes and laughed.I dont remember. Six years ago is ages ago, she responded. I was most likely kicking butt six years ago, if I was in the semis or the finals. You have to be.Just like in the old days, Williams will be joined in the semifinals by a familiar face -- younger sister Serena, who moved closer to equaling Steffi Grafs Open-era record of 22nd Grand Slam championships by defeating 21st-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4, taking the last three games of each set. Serena hit 11 aces, including one at 123 mph to end it.This, then, is the latest chapter of the remarkable Williams sister tale: a pair of siblings from Compton, California, who rose to the top of tennis. Its the 11th time theyve reached the semis at the same major; in all previous 10, one took home the trophy. That includes four all-in-the-family finals at Wimbledon, with Venus winning in 2008, and Serena in 2002, 2003 and 2009.On Thursday, they will try to set up another title match when No. 1 Serena faces unseeded Elena Vesnina, while No. 8 Venus meets No. 4 Angelique Kerber.It just means that she has a lot of perseverance. Shes a real fighter, Serena said about Venus, the oldest woman in a major semifinal since 1994, when Martina Navratilova was 37 at Wimbledon. Like I always say, its super inspiring for me.Kerber, who surprised Serena in the Australian Open final in January for her first Grand Slam title, advanced by eliminating No. 5 Simona Halep 7-5, 7-6 (2). Vesnina, ranked 50th and never before a major quarterfinalist, moved on by overwhelming No. 19 Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2.The last mens quarterfinal spot was earned by 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych, who completed his 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (9), 6-3 victory over Jiri Vesely in a match suspended after the fourth set Monday night because of darkness. On Wednesday, the semifinalists will be determined by these matchups: Andy Murray vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roger Federer vs. Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic vs. Sam Querrey and Berdych vs. Lucas Pouille.There wasnt much drama in the quartet of womens matches Tuesday, although Venus was perilously close to dropping her opening set against the 96th-ranked Shvedova, now 0-3 in major quarterfinals.Shvedova led 5-2 in the tiebreaker before collapsing this way: forehand long, backhand wide, forehand into the net, forehand long. Those unforced errors were part of her 24 in the match, 15 more than Venus. They also created a set point for Venus, who converted it with a 99 mph service winner.Playing with her left thigh taped, Venus moved quite well, covering the court with speed and perfect timing, offering up enough defense and waiting for Shvedovas miscues. When Shvedovas final shot nestled in the net, Venus let out a cry of Come on! and raised her arms.Once you get to this part of a tournament, motivation is going to kick in after a few games of every match, said Venus coach, David Witt, and youre going to stop thinking about being sore, if youre sore.In 2011, Venus revealed that she had been diagnosed with Sjogrens syndrome, and since then there have been repeated questions about when she might quit tennis -- especially as early losses accumulated. She had six first-round exits at majors over the past six years, compared with three over her careers first 14 years.Retiring is the easy way out, she said. I dont have time for easy.About 1 1/2 hours later, Venus went back out to team with Serena and win a doubles match to get to that events quarterfinals.One more victory each in singles, and theyll be sharing the court again -- except on opposite sides of the net, reprising their one-of-a-kind rivalry. Just like in the old days.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Nike Air Max 2017 Pas Cher . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Air Max 90 Femme Soldes . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. http://www.airmax2017pascher.com/nike-air-max-2017.html .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Nike Air Max 90 Pas Cher Femme . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Nike Air Max 90 Homme Soldes .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. The St. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Matt Holliday on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a fractured thumb and promoted pitcher Luke Weaver from Triple-A Memphis.Holliday suffered the injury in the Cardinals loss to the Cubs on Thursday, when he was hit by a pitch on his right thumb.The Cardinals announced Friday that Holliday would meet with a hand specialist in CChicago before returning to St.dddddddddddd. Louis.Weaver, a 22-year-old right-hander and one of the Cardinals top pitching prospects, will make his major league debut on Saturday against the Cubs.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '