Wimbledon 2014: Eugenie Bouchard marches on with victory over Angelique Kerber

Kerber had less time to recover after playing Maria Sharapova yesterday

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard celebrates winning her women's singles quarter-final match against Germany's Angelique Kerber (GETTY IMAGES)

“Let’s go, Genie,” yelled a Canadian voice as Eugenie Bouchard strode out, a set and a break up against Angelique Kerber, to serve for a place against Simona Halep in the semi-finals. This is a young woman going places.

A year ago the teenaged Bouchard made her senior debut at Wimbledon ranked 66 in the world. Her belts and braces 6-3, 6-4 victory over Kerber delivered Bouchard into the last four of a Grand Slam for the third successive time and whatever happens against Halep she will end the week a top-10 player for the first time.

It is a status she looks set to improve on soon. The composed 20-year-old from Montreal, in only her second year on the women’s tour, is now a force to be reckoned with. She plays with an easy, understated confidence and coolly survived her one tricky game, the seventh of the first set when she saved four break points with the match on serve.

In the next game she broke Kerber – who looked drained from the effort of knocking out Maria Sharapova on Tuesday and was dogged by a weak second serve – and never lost control from there.

“I’ve always been self-confident,” said Bouchard. “I’ve always believed in myself. Every time I play I realise, okay, I can play with this level and play with these top girls. Playing my first full year on the pro tour last year really showed me that as well.”

Bouchard and Halep, who this time a year ago was ranked 32 and will end Wimbledon as the world No 2, have been the most consistent players on the women’s tour this season. Neither, though, has won a Slam – Petra Kvitova is the only semi-finalist who has.

“I think it’s a normal evolution of things,” said Bouchard. “As great champions get older, new ones come in and I think it’s a really exciting time for women’s tennis.”