Wimbledon Ladies’ Semifinals on ESPN: Serena Powering towards 8th Wimbledon?

• 23-Time Major Champ Williams to Play No. 13 Goerges, Kerber vs. Ostapenko in Battle of Major Winners
• ESPN+ with all Outer Courts – Doubles, Juniors, Wheelchair and More
• ESPN3: “Wimbledon Surround” Returns for Semifinals, “DataCenter” Debuts for Championships
• Friday’s Men’s Semifinals: 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 12 Djokovic; No. 8 Anderson vs. No. 9 John Isner
• Breakfast at Wimbledon Each Day through Sunday

ESPN’s exclusive coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon continues on Thursday, July 12, with the Ladies’ Semifinals on ESPN at 8 a.m. ET:

• 11 Angelique Kerber vs. No. 14 Jelena Ostapenko. Kerber, from Germany and winner of the 2016 Australian and US Opens, faces the 2017 French Open titlist, Ostapenko, from Latvia.

Followed by:

• 25 Serena Williams vs. No. 13 Julia Goerges – It hasn’t been an easy Wimbledon for the 7-time champion, but perhaps that kind of testing is just what she needs to tie the record of 24 Major titles (Margaret Court). Goerges, 29 and 5’11 from Germany, is making her Major semifinal debut.

Beyond Centre Court, more courts available on the ESPN App with the new ESPN+ service, making its Major tennis debut.  These are Courts 1, 2, 3, 12, 14, 17 and 18.  Play – including Doubles, Juniors, Wheelchair and Invitational (seniors) – begins at 6 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. (depending on the court).  ESPN+ matches will include:

• The American Gentlemen’s Doubles team of Mike Bryan and Jack Sock against Dominic Inglot and Franko Skugor (not before 12:30 p.m., Court 2).
• Jamie Murray and Victoria Azarenka in Mixed Doubles facing the No. 4 team of Jean-Julien Rojer and Demi Schuurs (second on Court 1).
• Top U.S. Junior girl No. 3 Cori Gauff No. 10 Xiyu Wang of China (11 a.m., Court 18).

Breakfast at Wimbledon at 7 a.m.

The two semifinal matches will be preceded by Breakfast at Wimbledon at 7 a.m., hosted by Chris McKendry.  The show will include:

• A review of “the narrative of the fortnight” which has evolved into “Serena vs. the field.”
• A look at the history of when soccer (football) has overlapped with Wimbledon, as the World Cup does this year.
• In “bumps” to open or close segments, a look at the people who make Wimbledon special and make it run smoothly – “Wimbledon in their eyes” with ball boys/girls, groundskeepers, gardeners and officials, chair umpires and lines judges.
• A quick update on the outcome of the Wimbledon Village’s “storefront decoration contest.”
• A preview of the day’s action and a look ahead at the Gentlemen’s Semifinals.

“Wimbledon Surround” Returns for Semifinals, “DataCenter” Makes Wimbledon Debut for Championships

ESPN3 – online and streaming live on the ESPN App – will once again add an additional feed – “Wimbledon Surround” – for the semifinals.  It has three boxes – the primary TV view, plus two more, each focusing on one player.

For the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Championships, ESPN3 will offer “DataCenter,” as seen at last year’s US Open.  A column of match stats will be on the left edge with more in a box along the bottom of the screen; the match telecast will fill the rest of the screen.

Gentlemen’s Semifinals Friday

Friday’s Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Semifinals will begin at 8 a.m., preceded by Breakfast at Wimbledon at 7 a.m.:

• 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 12 Novak Djokovic in a matchup that totals 29 Major titles including five at Wimbledon.
• 8 Kevin Anderson vs. No. 9 John Isner. Anderson, who is 6’8″ and reached the championship of last year’s US Open, outlasted Roger Federer in a five-set comeback thriller in the quarterfinals.  The 6’10” Isner, a product of the University of Georgia, is enjoying his finest year; it is his first Major semifinal.

ESPN & WIMBLEDON 2018

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