(WIMBLEDON, NIGHT, CENTER, COURT, WOMEN, VENUS)
LONDON (Reuters) - Sobriety returned to Wimbledon Tuesday after the heady brew of the night before with Center Court open to the sunny skies and women`s champion Venus Williams blasting through to the semi-finals.
The 29-year-old American romped to a 5-0 lead against Poland`s Agnieszka Radwanska and completed a 6-1 6-2 victory on auto-pilot as slumbering Court One fans applauded politely in temperatures soaring into the 30s Celsius again.
Fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva then crushed Italy`s Francesca Schiavone 6-2 6-2 in quick time meaning that holders of costly Court One tickets were treated to a mere two hours 14 minutes of singles play.
Venus will face world number one Dinara Safina for a place in her eighth Wimbledon singles final after the Muscovite wore down unseeded German Sabine Lisicki 6-7 6-4 6-1 on Center Court in a match that at least resembled a proper contest.
Second seed Serena plays Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the day`s last quarter-final with a sense of predictability sweeping women`s tennis. Most pundits have already pencilled in a fourth Wimbledon final between the insatiable sisters Saturday.
"That first set for me was really almost perfect," Venus told reporters. "Do I feel invincible? I`d like to say yes, but I really do work at it."
Having won 33 consecutive sets at Wimbledon it seems only Serena is capable of stopping her. Asked what it must be like to have to play herself, Venus said: "I have no idea. I guess the same way I feel when I have to face Serena Williams."
The drowsy nature of what should be one of the biggest days in the women`s draw was all a stark contrast to Monday`s late-night blockbuster in which Andy Murray fought tooth and nail for nearly four hours to beat Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka under Center Court`s illuminated canopy.
That electrifying five-set contest will go down in Wimbledon folklore as the day the tournament changed forever and it was pretty much all anybody was talking about as the fans poured through the gates on another sweltering day.
Murray`s victory -- played out in front of 15,000 fans on Center Court, thousands more crammed together in the dark on Henman Hill and a British television audience of 12.6 million -- has set a high standard that sadly the women could not match.
"The only danger to the roof was that it could have been blown off by the crowds," Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said of the events of the previous night.
Murray, who had a day off to recover before his last eight assignment against Juan Carlos Ferrero, said it was the noisiest crowd he had ever played in front of -- which for somebody with experience of U.S. Open night sessions was quite a statement.
(Editing by Miles Evans)
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