Sharapova dazzles at stormy Wimbledon

The Russian fifth seed, the stand-out name in an unfamiliar looking last eight, roared to a 6-1 6-1 win over shell-shocked Dominika Cibulkova under Centre Court's roof and now only wildcard Sabine Lisicki stands between Sharapova and her first final here since she won the tournament in 2004.

Lisicki continued her heart-warming run when she outlasted French livewire Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-7 6-1 to become the first German woman to reach the semi-finals since Steffi Graf in 1999.

Both matches were played under cover after Monday's sticky heat gave way to storms. Play was eventually possible on the roof-less Court One where Czech Petra Kvitova beat Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3 6-7 6-2 in just over two hours.

Image: Russia's Maria Sharapova celebrates defeating Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in their match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, Tuesday, June 28, 2011.

Text: Reuters

Images: AP