Erratic Venus is sent packing by Pironkova

The 22-year-old Bulgarian had never made it past the second round of a grand slam event prior to arriving at the All England Club this year but has emphatically set that to rights on her pilgrimage to the last four.

Pironkova made a mockery of her world ranking of 82 to soundly dismiss the challenge of five-time champion Williams, who looked out of sorts as myriad errors spewed from her racquet.

Kim Clijsters's conqueror Vera Zvonereva, the No 21 seed, lies in wait in tomorrow semi-finals, and Pironkova revealed her exploits this Wimbledon fortnight mark the realisation of a long-held dream dating back to her childhood in Bulgaria's second city, Plovdiv.

"Wimbledon has always been like a religion to me," said Pironkova, whose 6-2 6-3 triumph over Williams was rapturously received by an appreciative Court One crowd.

"I don't think it's just for me. I think it's for all of the players.

"Wimbledon is the first tournament, it's the oldest tournament. Growing up, every player is looking at Wimbledon. They say, 'One day I want to play there'. That's like a dream.

"I still cannot believe that I reached the semi-finals.

"This is truly like a dream to me, and I will try to enjoy it as much as I can."

Williams has been acutely aware of the threat posed by the young Bulgarian since Pironkova beat her in the first round of the Australian Open in 2006.

Pironkova said the memory of that three-set triumph was with her as she stepped out on court yesterday.

The Bulgarian, who beat 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli in the fourth round, has yet to win a title on the women's tour but has worked herself into a position to break her duck on the biggest possible stage.

A kind semi-final draw against Zvonereva would precede a likely final against reigning champion Serena Williams, and Pironkova hopes she still has more big performances left.

"I really hope that I have more to offer," she said. "I'll just try to do all the right things: to rest well, to prepare well for the next match."

Williams's loss owed as much to her own abject performance as it did the prowess of the Bulgarian, but she nevertheless displayed superb athleticism and hit measured groundstrokes which gave the world No 2 the runaround.

Williams did not help her cause with 29 unforced errors and five double faults, statistics out of character for the 30-year-old who also conceded four breaks of service as she bowed out meekly.

Williams offered a succinct explanation for the ease of the victory.

"I think I missed all shots today: forehand, volley, backhand. If there was a shot to miss, I think I missed it," Williams said.

"I had a lot of opportunities and a lot of short balls. I just seemed to hit each one out. I don't think I did anything right today."

Williams was the oldest woman in the quarter-finals but dismissed suggestions this defeat could force her to consider retirement.

Zvonareva's tunnel vision helped her come from behind to knock US Open champion Clijsters out and set up a semi-final against unseeded Pironkova.

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

While the Centre Court crowd were keeping close watch of the scoreboard during breaks and burst into a round of applause when Pironkova's victory over Venus Williams was confirmed, Zvonareva was keeping the world at bay with a towel over her head.

The 25-year-old said: "Nothing matters on the court besides thinking of what you're going to do next.

"I put the towel up because it just helps me to relax and not to see what is going on around.

"If you see all the things around, noticing all the scores, it just takes your concentration a little bit away, and then maybe you will make a wrong decision on the court. So for me it's very important just to keep my concentration."

Rising Czech star Petra Kvitova will play a maiden grand slam semi-final against defending champion Serena Williams after staging a stunning fightback against Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi.

The 20-year-old left-hander saved five match points and came from a double break down in the final set to gain a thrilling 4-6 7-6 (10/8) 8-6 victory in an epic quarter-final lasting two hours and 38 minutes.

Serena Williams powered her way into a seventh Wimbledon semi-final with a hugely impressive 7-5 6-3 victory over Li Na on Centre Court. The defending champion broke in the 11th game of the match and then served out the opening set.

Li put up a bold challenge but Williams was simply too strong, especially on serve, where she blasted 11 aces, and three breaks in the second set proved more than enough, despite a late rally from the Chinese player.