LONDON - Former Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber stepped up her bid to return to the title match with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) win against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the fourth round on Monday.
Kerber was beaten by Serena Williams in the 2016 final at the All England Club. The 30-year-old German is seeded 11th and, after a week of shock defeat for her title rivals, that makes Kerber the highest ranked woman left in the draw.
Kerber, who won the Australian and US Open titles in 2016, is into her fourth Wimbledon quarter-final. She faces Russian 14th seed Daria Kasatkina on Tuesday. Kasatkina booked her first Wimbledon quarter-final appearance with a 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2 victory over Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck on Monday.
Kasatkina, who failed to get past the third round in her two other visits to SW19, made her Grand Slam last eight debut at the French Open in June and has followed that breakthrough performance with another impressive run at the All England Club. The 21-year-old rising star was too strong for world number 47 Van Uytvanck, who failed to emulate her shock second round win over last year's Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza.
Julia Goerges is also through to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time after the German 13th seed beat Croatia's Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-2 on Monday. Goerges was competing in her first Wimbledon last 16 tie after five successive opening round defeats at the All England Club.
Daria delivers… @DKasatkina equals her best-ever result at a Grand Slam after defeating Alison Van Uytvanck 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/jSaTc63Xsi
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2018
The 29-year-old rose to the occasion, sweeping aside world number 55 Donna Vekic, who defeated US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round and was also chasing a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final berth. Goerges takes on Dutch 20th seed Kiki Bertens for a place in the semi-finals.
She will be making her Grand Slam last eight debut in her 42nd appearance at the majors. Goerges had previously reached the fourth round of Grand Slams on five occasions without a victory.