Wimbledon 2014: Petra Kvitova to face Lucie Safarova in semi-finals at All England Club

Petra Kvitova will face Lucie Safarova in an all-Czech semi-final at Wimbledon after the 2011 champion defeated Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova 6-1 7-5.

Kvitova, who is the only grand slam champion remaining in the women's draw, enjoyed a relatively straightforward win over Zahlavova-Strycova, who is also from the Czech Republic.

She raced to the first set in just 36 minutes before her opponent finally made things competitve in the second, but Zahlavova-Strycova lost out after a string of service breaks at the end of the match.

Safarova had earlier become the first player to book a spot in the last four of this year’s Wimbledon Championships after clinching a 6-3 6-1 win against Ekaterina Makarova.

Both players were bidding to reach a grand slam semi-final for the first time after Makarova’s shock win over fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska and Victoria Azarenka’s early exit opened up their section of the draw.

And it was Safarova who dealt with the occasion the better on Court One, easing to victory against her Russian opponent in just 58 minutes.

"I played really well and wanted to get through this match and I am so happy. I was serving well and being aggressive and taking her time away and that was the key to the victory," Safarova said.