Serena and Venus Williams lose in Wimbledon doubles quarterfinals

Reporting from Wimbledon, England â€”  Serena and Venus Williams, the top-seeded women’s doubles team, were upset in the quarterfinals Wednesday by Vera Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

While the loss was notable in that the Williams sisters seemed on course for winning a fifth consecutive Grand Slam doubles title, it was also concerning because Serena played with her right shoulder heavily taped. That was a new addition to her wardrobe.

The sisters declined to be interviewed after the loss and will be assessed a fine.

Serena, top-ranked in the world and top-seeded at Wimbledon, is to play unseeded and 62nd-ranked Petra Kvitova in Thursday’s women’s semifinals. The first match on Centre Court will have 21st-seeded Vera Zvonareva against another surprise semifinalist, 82nd-ranked Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.

On Tuesday, Serena disagreed that she had an easy path to a fourth Wimbledon title.

“It is not mine to lose,� Williams said. “It’s mine to win if I can get it. There are three other people that are vying to win it.�

Kvitova, 20, a left-hander from the Czech Republic, begged to differ. When asked Tuesday whether she thought she could win the title, Kvitova said, “I don’t think so.�

Pironkova, 22, has never won a tournament.

Zvonareva, 25, has been a top-five player, has won 10 career titles and was an Australian Open semifinalist in 2009. But she is also prone to nerves. At last year’s U.S. Open, Zvonareva had a spectacular on-court meltdown.

Things are different now. “You grow up,� she said. “You’re more mature. I think now I have learned a lot from the past and I can do it much better now.�

Meanwhile, Bob and Mike Bryan, seeded second here, lost to the seventh-seeded pairing of Dick Norman and Wesley Moodie, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-5. The Bryans were bidding for a record 62nd doubles title and their ninth Grand Slam title.

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