'There are no favorites any more,' says Kerber before Ostapenko SF

LONDON, Great Britain - Angelique Kerber might be the top-seeded woman left in the Wimbledon singles draw - but in a year where the top ten seeds crashed out of the tournament by the quarterfinal stage, she says that those numbers mean nothing.

"I think there are no favorite any more," she told reporters after beating Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 7-5. "We are in the semis right now. I'm not looking left or right. I'm not looking about the others. I'm really taking care about my game, about my matches, about how I play on court. This is all I care about actually, to be honest."

The former WTA World No.1 had to work hard to beat the young Russian, having recently played her at the Nature Valley International in a three-set thriller that included two tiebreaks.

"I think she is tricky opponent," admitted Kerber. "That's why she is also so good. She's played so many good matches in the last few months. She won Indian Wells, also beat top players.

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"I was expecting a match like this. I think for me it was important to play aggressive, try to taking the challenge how she was playing, try to move well, get a lot of balls back and try also to accept how well she was playing."

The WTA World No.10 next faces Jelena Ostapenko for the first time - and knows that will be another tough encounter, describing it as a "big challenge".

"I think it will be really a good match," added Kerber. "I think the match starts from zero. I mean, the pressure is not always on my side. She won a Grand Slam, as well. I think that we're both looking forward to playing the semis."

Kerber is quietly confident, though, and enjoying the run on a surface that suits her game.

"I just like to play on grass," the 2016 Wimbledon finalist explained. "I'm always really low in my legs. I think this is what is good for my game. I think also all the experience that I have, the memories, big matches that I played here and on grass. I think this gives me the feeling that I really love to play on the surface."