Sharapova advances to Wimbledon semis

London - Maria Sharapova is back in the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time since reaching the championship final in 2011.

The fourth-seeded Russian struggled for a bit but still beat CoCo Vandeweghe of the United States 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2 on Centre Court on Tuesday.

Sharapova won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2004. She reached the semi-finals at the All England Club the next two years, but only once more since then, when she lost to Petra Kvitova in the 2011 final.

Meanwhile Garbine Muguruza also made it to the semi-finals for the first time.

The 20th-seeded Spaniard, who reached the quarter-finals at the last two French Opens, advanced by beating Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 7-5, 6-3 on Court 1.