Zvonareva halts Clijsters campaign

Vera Zvonareva edged a gruelling Centre Court battle with US Open champion Kim Clijsters to set up a Wimbledon semi-final against the unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova.

The Russian showed resilience and class to come from behind and claim a 3-6 6-4 6-2 triumph over the eighth seed.

Zvonareva, the 21st seed, has only reached one grand slam semi-final before - at the Australian Open last year - and now has a strong chance of reaching her first final after Pironkova knocked out Venus Williams.

"It's definitely one of my dreams to be playing here in the semi-finals. I remember as a kid watching Wimbledon on TV," said Zvonareva.

"I'm looking forward to the semi-final and really excited about this game."