TENNIS in DEPTH.

Maria Sharapova overcame serving problems to book her place in second Wimbledon final. The 2004 champion returned to the final in SW19 for the first time since her triumph as a 17-year-old, thanks to a 6-4 6-3 win over wild card Sabine Lisicki. However, a first-serve percentage of just 48 and a tally of 13 double faults was worrying for the fifth seed, who now faces Petra Kvitova in Saturday’s title decider.

Petra Kvitova moved into the Wimbledon final with a 6-1 3-6 6-2 victory over Victoria Azarenka. The rising Czech star will now play Maria Sharapova in Saturday’s final. It was a typically powerful performance from the 21-year-old, who, after a flying start, was able to put a second-set blip firmly behind her to dominate the decider and reach her maiden Grand Slam final. Kvitova had to save a break point in the first game of the match but after that took firm control. She broke Azarenka for the first time in the fourth game and even a fire alarm going off just outside the court could not shift her focus.

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