Serena Williams fights back to reach Wimbledon semi-finals

Serena Williams insists she didn't feel any pressure in her Wimbledon quarter-final on Tuesday, despite needing to fight back from a set down to defeat Italian Camila Giorgi.

Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, was in danger of a stunning exit after world No 52 Giorgi became the first player in this year's tournament to take a set off the former world No 1.

But Williams fought her way out of trouble to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to set up a semi-final against Julia Georges after the German 13th seed defeated Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

"I knew after the first set, 'all right, let's go three sets'. I'll just keep fighting," Williams said. "I'm OK, I feel good, I feel like I did better today, I had to.

"This is only my fourth tournament back so I don't feel pressure, I don't feel I have to win this. I still have a long way to go to be where I was."

Jelena Ostapenko showed all her "fighting" qualities to defeat Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 6-4 and become the first Latvian to reach the Wimbledon singles semi-finals.

Last year, Ostapenko broke onto the scene by winning the French Open as an unseeded 19-year-old, and she will need to get past German 11th seed Angelique Kerber on Thursday if she is to contest her second grand slam final.

"I am fighting till the end and it helps me gain more confidence. It's great to be in the semis," Ostapenko said.

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Wimbledon refuses to change men's final time despite clash with World Cup

WATCH: Day 7 Wimbledon highlights and quarter-finals

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After more than a week of high temperatures, the players struggled to find their range on a chilly and blustery Court 1. Four of the first five games went against serve before 12th seed Ostapenko's game finally caught fire in the 11th game when she broke Cibulkova to love.

Two successive aces gave the 21-year-old the first set and she tightened her grip on the contest when she ended another flurry of breaks to go 4-2 up in the second.

Cibulkova did her best to try and hang on but the Slovakian was left chasing shadows as Ostapenko blasted a backhand winner on her first match point to reach the last four without dropping a set in this year's tournament.

Ostapenko will take on 2016 finalist Kerber, who came through a tough quarter-final 6-3, 7-5 against Russian 14th seed Daria Kasatkina.

"I was expecting a close match. We've played so many tough matches," said Kerber, who sealed the win on her seventh match point and is the highest seeded player remaining in the draw.

"We both played on a really high level. I was just trying to stay focused on my serve. It's great to be in the semis.

"She was moving me very much. I was not thinking too much about the match points. I was just trying to push myself until the limits actually."

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Europe's top EV producers

Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
Iceland (33%)
Netherlands (20%)
Sweden (19%)
Austria (14%)
Germany (14%)
Denmark (13%)
Switzerland (13%)
United Kingdom (12%)
Luxembourg (10%)

Source: VCOe

MATCH RESULT

Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')

How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed

Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.

Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.

The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.

One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.

That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.